Keys to the Kingdom
by scarface101
Summary: With the barrier separating the Multiverse now gone, the realms had to be sealed away. Now a new Keyblade Guardian appears, ready to change fate and defy the odds. But there are other entities at play, each with their own agenda. Please Read and Review. Suggestions welcome. Naruto x Harem. Keyblade wielding Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Sorry for the wait my faithful readers. Lately though, I have been on a Kingdom Hearts binge after borrowing the PS4 collection from my brother-in-law and have kinda gotten into it. I hope you enjoy this little fic. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. To all flamers and abusers of the Guest review: Zero fuqs given.**

 **Chapter one: Prologue. (Part One.)**

"King Mickey, Queen Minnie, I bear grave news." Spoke the form of Ansem the Wise, a disheartened look on his face as he looked away from the two rulers of Disney Castle, unable to look them in the eyes due to the news he was about to give them.

"Speak plainly Ansem. Please. We need to know what is happening to the realms." Mickey requested in an urgent manner, aware that strange happenings had been occuring throughout the realms. And if Ansem knew what was happening then maybe they could repair the damage before it was too late.

"Very well. To be put in the bluntest terms, the Barrier seperating the realms is disappearing. Soon... it will cease to exist entirely and the worlds shall all converge upon one another." Ansem explained briefly, stroking his beard slightly.

Both Mickey and Minnie gasped in shock and looked to one another. The former then crossed his arms and spoke in as calm a tone as he could muster "I see. That is terrible indeed. Are the Heartless responsible for this? And what would happen when the Barrier vanishes?"

Ansem the Wise crossed his arms behind his back, almost hesitant to share the news with them, but they had to know all the same. "Possible, but extremely unlikely. I firmly believe that the Heartless have nothing to do with this. And what would happen, you ask? If, and when the Barrier is extinguished, the world's would soon come together and then violently collide. The loss of life... would be nothing short of catastrophic." He explained earning looks of pure horror from the two Monarchs.

"Can anything be done to prevent this? There must be something we can do." Minnie asked almost pleadingly, looking for any possibility of hope.

"The Barrier itself is beyond the scope of repair. And attempting to tamper with it to fix it may accelerate its degeneration. There is, however, one solution. I propose that we leave way for one world to become the main existence within Creation, and all the rest shall be sealed away into books. Much akin, to Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre wood. Thus all the realms would be kept safe." Ansem spoke in a calm manner, earning nods of approval from his hosts.

Such an undertaking would be difficult but if it meant protecting all the Worlds from danger, then it would be worth it. "I see. I agree wholeheartedly with this plan. I shall summon the best magic users in the realms to aid us. But then... if the Worlds are all sealed away, who will guard them from the Outside world? And which world will the books be kept in?" Mickey asked as he began pacing about in thought, many questions and uncertainties filling his mind.

"I have selected one candidate already. A realm predominated by humans, and is filled with Ninjas. It is referred to as the Elemental Nations. Remarkably, there are no signs of any Heartless ever appearing there for reasons unknown and it is one of the few realms unaware of the collapsing Barrier. As for our guardian, I have already made some arrangements." Ansem replied and gestured towards a figure that was standing quietly in a corner, watching the proceedings between the monarchs.

"Keyblade master Aqua. At your service." She spoke giving a small boy. Mickey then slapped himself on the side of the head, who would be better to guard the Realms than a keyblade master?

"Excellent! It seems we're mostly set and ready. We must get underway immediately to prevent the coming cataclysm!" Mickey shouted gleefully then immediately left to write the necessary letters and send word to various magic users about the situation. For the safety of the Realms, they must not fail.

 **Five years later.**

The plan had worked, it was a complete success. And all the realms remained blissfully unaware as they all continued their seperate yet connected existences within their respective story books. Meanwhile, in the Shinobi realm, Aqua lived a quiet life of semi-retirement working as a librarian. What better place to hide a number of world containing books than a library after all? Plus she had them tucked away into a hidden area of the library only she was aware of.

It was soon getting difficult to remember the last time she needed to bring out her Keyblade since there was no Heartless in this world. She soon came to enjoy the quiet and found herself utterly at peace. So long as the books remained undisturbed then there was no reason for her to do anything. She occasionally checked in every now and again to ensure nothing was amiss, but so far... all was really and truly peaceful.

"So, when do you get off? I'd be happy to treat you to dinner." Spoke a masculine voice that was attempting to be charming, it was just the opposite since it made her feel quite ill. That was perhaps the only thing wrong with being a quiet and reserved librarian. Men constantly hit on her, almost every day. And this guy? Some teacher named Iruka was perhaps the most persistant of them all.

"No thanks. I prefer much younger guys." She replied in a disinterested tone as she pretended to read a book, hoping that acting the part of what's called a 'Shotacon' would turn off any males that would try and flirt with her. And in most cases, it did.

"I'm not that old Aqua-san." He retorted, his smile not faltering as he attempted to smooth talk her, complimenting her on her shimmering blue hair. This only annoyed the Keyblade master further as he kept on trying to butter her up.

Finally she snapped her book shut and turned to him, adjusting a pair of reading glasses as she spoke "Enough. I am sick and tired of your advances. Let me put this in a way that your undeveloped brain can understand: I do not want to date you. I am not interested in dating you. And I think you are a selfish, annoying, and much too clingy man with no respect for my personal space or my feelings. Now, go away, and don't ever come back here if you're just going to flirt with me." She ranted in an irritated tone, then she began making a shooing motion as she opened up her book and resumed reading from it.

With a disappointed and angered growl, Iruka left the library much to her relief. Time passed on as the frequent visitors and Academy students came and went since Aqua's library was amongst the most popular ones in Konoha due to it's size, selection of books, and convenient distance between a number of homes and the Academy itself. Although this also attracted the loathsome sorts like Iruka when they learned that a young, beautiful and single woman was in charge of the whole thing. Still, it had it's upsides to say the least and overly flirtatious men were one of the few if only issues she had in daily life.

Soon, it grew darker outside and the last of the visitors left the library, prompting Aqua to flip the door sign to 'closed' and lock the doors for the night. She then went over to her desk and switched off most of the lights, save for the dimmed backup lights so she could navigate the rows of shelves and books as she made her way towards her office/bedroom on the second floor.

Turning the key into the lock, she opened the door then locked it back behind her as she lazily flopped onto the couch. Feeling a little exhausted after that outburst against that Iruka guy, hoping that maybe he will have gotten the message and will leave her alone now. Her belly rumbled slightly in hunger, prompting her to begin preparing some dinner for the evening. Maybe something quick and easy since she wasn't interested in anything time-consuming. Unknown to her... she forgot something in the library.

 **Meanwhile.**

"Holy crap... how long did I sleep for?" Asked the form of one Naruto Uzumaki as he had just recently woken up from a nap that was apparently much too long. The last thing that he remembered was reading up on some history of Konoha, for an upcoming test, but as he flipped through the pages he couldn't help but hear Iruka's boring ass lecture voice playing inside his head, reciting the words he was reading and thus put him to sleep. It was weird to say the least.

Guess that's what happens if you fail the Academy two years in a row, and are forced to listen to the same lectures day after day. With a sigh, he got up from his seat and headed for the front doors to leave. Only to find them already locked up. "What the hell? I slept past closing time? Wait... so I am stuck inside of here until morning?" He asked himself, unaware that the owner herself in fact lived inside of the building.

Grumbling slightly, he gave a light kick to the door in frustration and marched back to his previous napping spot. Only to find something off... the books he was reading before were all missing now except for one. Where had the others gone? His jaw then dropped when he saw a small girl about a foot in height fly over to the table and pick up the book, giggling to herself as she flew off with it. "Just gotta put this last one back and the day will be... uh oh." She spoke at the end in worry as she saw the blonde staring at her open mouthed.

"Holy sheeeeyiiiit. Are you a fairy?" The blonde muttered as he pointed at her with a shaky finger. The tiny girl then dropped the book and flew away, screaming that she shouldn't have been seen. Without even thinking, he chased after her. He chased her up and down the stacks, weaving and turning left and right to keep up with her. Surpised that she was so quick but he often outran Chunin after a pranking spree so this was nothing for him.

"Come on! Come on! Open! Open!" the fairy yelled as she pushed on a asection of the wall which was actually a hidden pressure plate which then opened revealing a passageway and a flight of stairs.

"No Rikku! Don't lead him down there!" Shouted another fairy prompting the blonde to look up at the top of the stacks to find two other fairies looking down on the scene in horror. This made Naruto wonder what was down there in the first place, something they didn't want him to see obviously. Perhaps an entire Fairy kingdom hidden underground? Whatever it was, his own curiosity got the better of him and he began running down the stairs without any thought to his actions other than to see their big secret. The passageway closing behind him.

"This is bad. Very very bad. Somebody get Master Aqua now!" Yelled the second fairy as she began to panic and flew off towards the Keyblade user's private quarters to warn her of the vault's discovery.

Meanwhile, as Naruto descended by the torch-lit tunnel he at last found himself in a room with a series of books, all sitting on ornate pedastals. He raised an eyebrow and wondered why these particular books were seperated from all the others and hidden down here. And why did those fairy's not want him to see them? Was there something special about them?

He skimmed over the titles and found some recognizable titles. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. It seemed a number of these were classic fairy tales, though what made them special was still a mystery to him. He touched one titled 'Lion King' and opened it to see it's contents... but then he saw a flash of light and vanished out of existence, and then the book shut itself.

After a few moments, Aqua appeared, glancing frantically about for the young intruder. Her eyes widening when she realized that he must have opened one of the books and entered into a Realm. But which one!? Seeing no choice, she would need to search the Realms one by one until she found them.

"I am soooooo sorry Master Aqua, I... I made a huge mistake. I led him here too... I am a horrible assistant." The fairy called Rikku cried as she hanged her head in shame, tears falling down her face since she felt she had failed her friend and master.

"Don't worry. We can fix this. I just need to find the boy, make him drink a memory loss potion and our problems will be solved. It's not too late. But we'll be having a discussion about this later." Aqua spoke as she gently patted the Gullwing's head. The Bluenette's librarian attire vanished and was replaced by her armor.

With a deep sigh, Aqua selected 'Cinderella' as her first Realm to search for the boy. Hopefully he didn't end up anywhere truly dangerous. It'd be bad if he went to Wonderland and ticked off the easily offended Queen of Hearts and thus lost his head, for example.

 **Elsewhere, in the Pride Lands.**

"Oh shit." Were the only words that escaped the Jinchuuriki's mouth. Now finding himself amidst a herd of Elephants, peacefully eating and ignoring his presence as he slowly inched away, not wanting to startle them for fear of being trampled to death by the giant animals. An angry elephant was one animal you wouldn't want to contend with after all. But thankfully it seemed like they didn't have any interest in him.

Once he was in the clear, he let out a sigh of relief as he took in his surroundings, he saw lush green plains and grazing herds all across the lands which made him smile at how peaceful everything looked. It was actually quite beautiful and breathtaking to say the least. And this was supposed to be a world inside of a book? If this one was like this, then what other wonders did the other books contain?

"This is... neat." The blonde muttered as he smiled, unsure whether to be in shock or ecstatic at this discovery, despite the fact his mind was running a mile a minute at this point. His ears twitched slightly as he heard something move behind him, his hand cautiously reaching down to his Kunai holster... then a yellow blur appeared out of the corner of his eye. Using his free hand, the blonde snatched the blur from the air and pinned it to the ground... only to find a lion cub?

"Okay! Uncle! Uncle! You win!" The cub yelped in a female voice as she squirmed under his grip. His eyes widened as he released her and he made some sputtering sounds, realizing that the cub had just spoken. It then clicked into his mind that perhaps she was some kind of a summons, so then it wouldn't be that strange if she could talk.

Clearing his throat he smiled sheepishly and spoke "Sorry about that. You kind of surprised me there. You shouldn't sneak up on a ninja."

The tan colored cub got up on her feet and groomed herself a little, replying back with an adorable smile "It's okay. I guess I kinda deserve that for pouncing on ya. And... what is a ninja?" she asked at the end, tilting her head in curiosity.

"What's a Ninja? Well... it's a kind of warrior I guess." The blonde replied, trying to put it in the most basic of terms for the lioness to understand.

"Really? That sounds so cool! My name is Nala! What are you supposed to be anyway? I thought you were some kind of weird hairless monkey." She asked him innocently, circling around his legs and sniffing at him a bit.

"Wha? No, I'm a human." he replied, and quickly realized that perhaps if she was asking, then humans never came into the territory of her Pride.

"Human? Huuuuuman. Never heard of those before! Wow! I must have found the only Human in the Pride lands! My friend Simba is gonna be soooooo jealous." She exclaimed proudly and started bouncing around on her paws with glee.

"Pride lands huh? This your turf or something? To be honest... I think I'm a little lost. I opened up a book and... well... ended up here I guess." He tried to explain. Come to think of it... how was he supposed to get back home now if he was stuck inside a book?

"Yep! Our king Mufasa rules over these lands! If anyone can help you get back home, I'm sure he can lend you a paw! And... what's a 'book'? Is that some kind of cave or a den?" She asked as she tilted her head again, causing the whiskered teen to mentally slap himself since there were a lot of human terms, names, and objects that would be alien to her and the other lions.

"How do I explain? Well, a book is a type of object that we humans use to tell stories." He explained as best he could making Nala's eyes widen in amazement. She then giggled and rubbed against his legs like a common house cat.

"That sounds cool too. You have got to tell me more about humans! Oh! We can talk more on the way to Pride Rock! I can't wait to show everyone my new human friend." she spoke with a toothy grin showing off her fangs. Naruto returned the smile and then scooped Nala up and put him square on his shoulders, with the upper half of his body resting atop his head.

"There. Now I can give you a ride. Which way's your home?" He asked, smiling as the cub giggled gleefully at being so high up now.

"Not far. See that big rock formation over there? That's Pride rock. Can't miss it." She replied and pointed it out to him. If there was anywhere for a lion Pride and their king to make a home, that would definitely be it. Naruto then marched forward and began to whistle a merry tune. All the while Nala started asking him random questions about humans, to which he answered as best he could or simply say he didn't know if he had no answer to give. Nevertheless, it felt good... to make a new friend. Even if it was a spunky lioness cub.

After some walking, Naruto soon came to realize exactly how large Pride rock actually was, and wondered if it may have been formed somehow during an earthquake if it stood the way it did. But he didn't really bother asking his new friend since she was so full of questions and he actually enjoyed trying to answer them. At last, he was greeted by some Lionesses who were all whispering amongst themselves about the new arrival.

"Nala, not even into adulthood and already bringing food for the Pride?" Asked a lioness whom Naruto assumed was Nala's mother, he chuckled since it was obvious that she was just teasing him and her tone held no threat or malice to it. Deciding now was a good time to put Nala on the ground, he placed her gently in front of the lioness, the cub seemingly disappointed that she couldn't ride on him anymore.

"He's not food mom! He's my new friend! And he's what's called a 'Human' he's actually super nice and let me ride on him on the way back." She spoke happily as she introduced him then pulled on her mother's leg a bit to try and bring her closer to the Ninja in training.

"My name's Naruto. Nice to meet you ma'am." He greeted politely and gave a friendly wave, the lionesses all giggling and whispering things like 'he's so cute' and 'what a sweetheart' and other such phrases.

"Sarafina, nice to meet you too. What brings you to the Pride lands? We have never had a... Human before." She asked him, sniffing curiously at his clothes since he was covered in strange foreign smells that she had never experienced. He must have come from a truly interesting place.

"Well, that's the thing. I think I'm a little on the lost side right now, and I have no idea how to get home. Nala here, mentioned that maybe your king could help me out?" The blonded asked almost pleadingly earning some sympathetic 'awws' from the lionesses.

Before Sarafina could reply, a deep masculine voice beat her to the punch by speaking "I can certainly try." from above inside the Lion's den, came a massive lion with a deep crimson mane, and at his sides was another lioness that was likely his mate. And a second lion with a mane as black as night, and a scar across his eye. The second male lion's scowl gave Naruto a sense of unease.

"Mufasa. At your service." The king politely introduced himself and gave the boy a nod of respect.

"Naruto, at yours. I am sorry if I'm intruding on your turf. I've had... kind of a weird day." The whiskered teen replied with a small sigh.

"I'm sure. Regardless, I welcome you to Pride rock as my personal guest. Please, make yourself at home. At least until you find a way home." The king offered with a small smile, immediately sensing a pure heart and spirit emanating from the lad.

"Now just a moment, are we really allowing a stranger to stay amongst us? We know nothing about him or his kind. He could be a threat to us." Spoke the black maned Lion, his voice alone making the Ninja in training feel like every word the scarred lion spoke was coated in venom. Much like a scheming politician with pink hair that he knew.

Mufasa let out a brief 'hmm' then asked Naruto directly "Are you a danger to us?" To which the boy replied point-blank while looking the king directly in the eyes with a curt 'No'. Nodding in satisfaction, the king replied to his brother "There you have it. I doubt he came all this way with young Nala just to cause us harm. And if he did... then there are plenty of Lionesses to keep an eye on him." The king half-joked and half-warned at the end, earning only a nod of understanding from the boy.

The blonde then felt something tugging on the sleeve of his jumpsuit and saw it was the lioness accompanying the king. "Come along now. Let's join the others. You must be tired." She spoke in a kind of motherly tone, so he chose to follow her without protest. She guided him towards a cool and shady spot to the side of Pride rock where other lionesses were lounging about and... cat-napping.

"My name is Sarabi. Mufasa's mate and Queen." She introduced herself and sat down, with the grace and poise befitting of a queen.

"Good to meet you too. Who was that other lion with the black mane? Has he always had a stick up his ass or something?" The blonde asked, temporarily forgetting his manners. His question earning several snorts and giggles from the other Pride members that heard him, even Sarabi had to stifle some laughter but still managed to keep her composure.

"He is Scar. The king's brother. Pay him no mind, he is always like that. I recommend that you give him a wide berth though. He isn't the most welcoming member of the Pride." She warned him, making the boy nod. Then with a smile, he reached over and started to scratch the queen behind her ears, admiring the softness of her fur and believed that she must groom herself daily. Sarabi's eyes widened at the alien feeling, and a deep rumbling purr came from her throat.

"Mmm. What is this? Is this how you humans show affection?" She asked him as she relaxed at his touch, it was a strange feeling but definitely a pleasant one as she felt his fingers rub into her fur and flesh.

"It's called petting. And... yeah. I guess it is. You want me to stop?" He asked her, hoping that he hadn't offended the queen.

"No. Keep going. Would you mind doing that a little lower please?" She asked him, and he happily obliged... then he quickly found himself surrounded by other curious lionesses. All wanting to experience the 'petting' by his hands. He then looked up and saw that Mufasa was watching from a short distance away, smiling and almost laughing at the scene.

"Umm? King Mufasa? A little help? I think I just bit off more than I can chew." Naruto almost pleaded as the Pride members drew closer to him and started to nuzzle him from all sides, almost demanding his attention.

"Hahaha! You're on your own now!" The king called out in amusement and then let out a full blown laugh when the boy was 'lion-piled' by the Pride members. This was definitely going to be amusing to say the least. But then he scowled as he wondered where his cub Simba was. And his brother Scar seemed to have gone off to spirits knows where, likely berating his mate again. It might be worth checking in to see if his son had gotten into any undue mischief. Still, after that encounter with the Hyenas the cub should now know better than to wander where he shouldn't. He was likely playing somehere nearby and the king would see him on his usual rounds.

 **Later.**

"What'cha doing there?" Asked Nala as she found Naruto in a secluded spot behind Pride rock, the whiskered teen sitting in front of a fire he had built and was using it to roast some meat from the lionesses most recent kill. The huntresses showing their hospitality by giving him a share as the king's guest.

"Cooking this here meat. Humans like me need to cook our food like this, otherwise we might get sick." He explained briefly. Chuckling as the cub pushed a stick into the fire and watched it burn in the flames.

"Really? So you use fire to do that? How'd you even make this anyway?" She asked him, still filled with an almost limitless supply of questions for him. In response he held out a pair of flint stones he kept on his person in case he needed them.

"These. I strike them together to make sparks which helps me get a fire going. Where's Mufasa anyway? Seemed like he went off somewhere." he asked her, hoping that the king would soon help him find a way back home.

"Well, he is the King. He's got to make sure the Pride lands are protected, that there is no over-hunting, and other such things. He'll be back before you know it. But... now that I think on it, I haven't seen my pal Simba either. He would have definitely loved to meet you. I'm starting to get a bit worried." She admitted, her ears falling flat as she worried about her best friend.

"Mufasa might be looking for him out there. Hey, want some of this?" He offered her a piece of cooked meat to help lighten her mood. She immediately perked up and accepted, snatching the meat from his fingers and munching on it.

"It tastes a bit weird like this and it's kinda hot. But it doesn't taste bad." She spoke after she swallowed it down, earning a quick scratch behind the ears making her purr in content.

"That's okay. You aren't used to cooked meat. If you want, we can go on a hike to try and find your buddy Simba and make sure everything is okay." He offered since he could tell that Simba's disappearance was bothering her, plus he could get to know the landscape better this way. Two birds with one stone and all that.

"Thanks. I'll go let my mom know that we're heading out." the cub replied in a grateful voice before scampering off to do just that, leaving her human friend to enjoy the rest of his meal. After a few minutes of waiting and eating, the blonde heard sounds of arguing. Turning towards the direction of the noise, he saw Scar and a lioness he didn't recognize yelling at one another for some reason. Then out of nowhere, the black maned lion swiped her across the face with her with his paw then padded off somewhere.

Growing concerned, the blonde got up and approached the lioness who was nursing her injured cheek, fortunately there wasn't any blood that had been drawn, meaning Scar hadn't used his claws. "Excuse me ma'am. You okay there?" he asked her in a gentle tone, but inwardly he was angry at Scar for treating a lady so poorly.

In response, she growled at him and glared as she spoke in an angry tone "What's it to you human? You shouldn't have been eavesdropping! Now go away!" she half roared at him, flashing her sharp teeth.

The blonde calmly took a step back to give her some space, but knew that she wasn't actually angry at him per se. "I didn't really hear anything. I just saw him hit you. So I came over to see if you needed a little help or something." He replied in as calm a tone as possible to help cool off her rising temper.

At his words she seemed taken aback that he was being nice to her, like the term 'kindness' was a foreign concept to her. "Why? Don't you have enough females swooning over you already? What do you want from me?" she demanded, obviously mistrustful of strangers.

"Nothing really. What? You think I'm some guy that wants something just for being nice? I'm not that shallow." He responded and crossed his arms, a warm smile crossing his lips. He then slowly approached her in spite of her growling. Kneeling down, he took her paw in his hands and lowered it down, then gently rubbed her stinging cheek making her flinch slightly.

"Looks like he got you pretty good. If you don't mind, what the heck was all that about anyway?" he asked her, hoping to better understand why the black maned lion decided to hit her.

"Personal business. Not for you to know." She responded coldly, refusing to answer him. Although the blonde saw one of her paws reach toward her belly for a moment. But he chose to change the subject instead.

"I don't think I've met you just yet. What's your name?" He asked her, then started scratching her behind the ears. A tactic that seemed to almost immediately win over every single lioness he had encountered thus far. At first she tensed up, but she slowly relaxed and turned her head to the side. It was as if she were trying to keep him from seeing her face, which showed her enjoyment.

"...Zira. Call me Zira." She responded begrudgingly, and then pulled away from him with an almost sorrowful expression on her face as she continued to speak "You seem like a nice boy... but you should stay away from me. I'm toxic to others." With that cryptic phrase, she then left Naruto behind and walked off someplace else, making him wonder what she meant by that. Sighing, the whiskered teen shook his head and decided that he should find Nala so their search could be underway.

 **A while later.**

"Hey Nala? You know a Lioness called Zira?" Naruto asked as he marched across the Pride Lands, with Nala perched upon his shoulders again to give her a better look at their surroundings so she can find Simba easier. His question surprised her for a moment but she answered him anyway.

"A little. She kinda scares me. She's really mean and cranky all the time. Mom says it's because Zira's always hanging out with Scar." she answered in a half-distracted tone, straining her eyes to keep an eye out for her best friend.

"What, she Scar's girlfriend or something?" The blonde asked, wondering if the lioness was in what was known as a 'toxic relationship'.

"Or something." The cub replied bluntly, then looked off towards the nearby gorge. A massive dustcloud coming from it and a massive herd of Wildebeasts charging out of the other side. "Wonder what their hurry is." She commented, passing it off as the herd migrating to another feeding pasture. She hadn't noticed that Naruto stopped in his tracks and was staring out towards the gorge, a pit forming in his stomach.

"Hey Nala? I think we should check out the gorge there." He spoke and began marching towards it, much to his friend's confusion.

"Why? You think Simba might be down there?" She asked him, though she doubted that her best friend would be down there with those wildebeasts moving like that. He'd be crushed into mush in no time flat.

"Dunno. But... I get the feeling that if we don't go there... something very very bad is going to happen." He replied in an ominous tone and broke off into a sprint, forcing his passenger to cling onto him tightly to avoid falling off.

"Hey! Hey! Slow down! It's hard to hold on when you're running!" She yelled, wrapping her front legs around the top of his head to steady herself. He ignored her as he charged on ahead to the ravine, his eyes flashing a myriad of colors in the sunlight. He then skidded to a halt at the edge of the cliffs and looked down, seeing nothing but wildebeasts on the run, a dust cloud forming, and then his eyes caught a small cub dangling from a dead tree.

"There he is!" The blonde shouted, pointing towards the dead tree, knowing that the cub could only be the Simba that they had been looking for.

"SIMBA!" Nala screeched in terror, seeing her friend in mortal danger. But unlike in the Elephant graveyard... there was nowhere to run to. He was trapped, and if he or the tree fell then he'd be trampled to death. Tears streamed down her face as she felt so helpless, unable to help her friend and her heart thundering in her small chest at the peril he was in.

Naruto swallowed dryly then set Nala down on the ground and said to her "Stay here. I'll get him." at his words she instantly clamped her teeth into the legs of his pants and tugged on the fabric to get his attention.

"What are you crazy?! You'll be killed! I... I can't lose two friends in the same day!" She cried out, unable to comprehend that the Human was going down into the gorge with a herd of stampeding wildebeasts. It was a death wish!

"If I don't go, Simba won't have a chance. And hey, remember that I'm a ninja? We live to beat the odds." He replied and gave a wink, before jumping down the cliff and began sliding down the rocks, leaving Nala to nervously pace back and forth as she ground her teeth together in anticipation.

The whiskered teen stopped himself just short of the stampeding herd, and swallowed nervously. Silently cursing himself for playing the big hero. But, it was now do or die time. Literally. This was likely going to be a defining moment in his soon-to-be career as a Shinobi, so he may as well go all in. His mind set and made up, he rushed out in front of the charging animals, and made a bee-line towards the trapped cub.

"I'd like to see those assholes Iruka and Sasuke do this crazy shit!" Naruto yelled out as he weaved through the stampede. Trying his best not to get knocked over. If he fell then it would all be over for him. Gathering some chakra to his legs, he leapt high into the air and started to hop on the backs of the wildebeasts, somehow managing to use their backs like stepping stones.

Up on the cliffs, Mufasa, Zazu and Scar all arrived and bore witness to the scene, the king spotting Nala nearby who was pacing restlessly. And then his eyes averted towards the dead tree where his son was clinging to for dear life, and the human Naruto diving headfirst into mortal danger to save him. Growling slightly, the king wasn't sure to join in the rescue to save his son, or entrust it to the crazy human. For now, he chose the latter and would wait in the event that he failed. But in this moment, he turned to his brother and stared at him with narrowed eyes. It now seemed rather convenient that his brother had known that Simba was in danger... perhaps a little too convenient. He would have to deal with that later, for now Simba's safety would come first.

The king's heart then stopped beating in his chest when he saw the tree snap in half, from a wildebeast accidentally charging into it sending his cub flying into the air... until Naruto leapt up and caught him. "Gotcha little buddy!" The blonde yelled and clutched the young prince to his chest. The Ninja's eyes widened when he landed dead center in the midst of the stampede.

"Holy fucking asscrackers!" The blonde yelled as he barely avoided being run over, stepping backwards in a panic only to be grazed by a wildebeast and knocked forward.

"HELP ME! DADDY! PLEASE!" Simba yelled in a panic, struggling in the blonde's arms as his fight or flight instinct took over. Naruto then crouched down to the ground, trying to use his own body to shield the cub from harm. The ninja let out a sharp growl, refusing that this was his time to die right here. He still had so much to accomplish in life as a Shinobi. He wanted to explore the world, see the other Shinobi villages, fight the strongest people out there... but he was now trapped and unable to save a single lion cub.

"If... if only I wasn't so weak. If only... I was just stronger. Maybe I would've been able to do more. But now look where I am, only pretending to be some big hero... when all I am is just a class clown that's too big for his britches." He mused, then looked down into his arms, seeing that poor Simba had curled himself into a quivering ball of fur and flesh, trembling and waiting for the end.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto felt so angry for some reason. Why did this have to happen? Why was life so unfair to the young and the innocent? Why did poor Simba have to suffer like this? "Oi. You bastards. You're scaring Simba and making him cry. I don't like it." he muttered as a crimson aura flashed around him, the sky above starting to darken a bit.

The Wildebeasts suddenly halted their charge, grinding down to a halt as they all stared at the boy. "You're all... really pissing me off right now." the blonde growled out, his eyes now a deep crimson with a black slit pupil which stared down the animals, almost daring them to charge.

"WHY DON'T YOU ALL GO AWAY AND SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF SOMEBODY ELSE?!" he roared loudly, causing spider-web like cracks to form beneath his feet and a dread wind blew towards the Wildebeasts. They all trembled in terror, stamping their hooves as they tried to back away... then various bellows came from the remainder of the herd and they began to run in the opposite direction, fleeing from the human.

As they ran away, Naruto's eyes returned to their normal sky blue and he looked down at the cub in his arms. "Don't worry. They're gone. You okay there little buddy?" Naruto spoke in a comforting voice, not bothering to wonder why the wildebeasts ran from him. He was just going to count his blessings and appreciate the fact that both he and Simba were alive.

"I... I... peed." The cub replied with a sniffle, alerting his savior to a dark wet spot forming on the front of his jumpsuit, making the whiskered teen cringe a bit.

"Eh. Nothing a little water can't wash out. And given the circumstances... I think it was justified. By the way Simba, my name's Naruto in case you hadn't heard." Naruto muttered and lightly scratched the cubs head to help him relax.

"Promise you won't tell anyone Naruto?" Simba asked nervously with a small blush forming beneath his furry cheeks. It seemed like he was somewhat ashamed that he had just wet himself, and didn't want anyone to know of that embarrassing detail.

"Tell about what?" He asked in a fake tone of confusion earning an appreciative nod from the cub. It was not long before Nala, Zazu and the king came up to them, looks of relief on their faces. Mufasa picked up the cub gently from Naruto's arms with his mouth and nuzzled the cub affectionately, with Nala doing to same and began licking at her friend's fur.

The king then turned to the boy, with a visible tear streaming down his face. "I will never, in all my years, forget that you have saved my son. There are no words I can give, to describe how grateful I am to you." Mufasa spoke in pure gratitude, unable to fathom that the human had done what could be considered the impossible.

"All in a day's work your majesty. I'm just glad Simba's okay." Naruto replied modestly, smiling as Nala tried to help comfort her childhood friend.

The king nodded and spoke "Scar has gone back to Pride rock to alert the Lionesses on what happened. We should take the cubs home, most especially Simba. He's had a long day. Zazu, return to Pride rock and inform everyone that Simba's alive and well. And that we are eternally indebted to our guest Naruto." At his command, the bird nodded and flew off into the sky to deliver the king's message.

"Come. We should leave." Mufasa commanded then lifted Simba up onto his back, with Nala hopping over to her human friend, looking up at him expectantly for a ride. But instead he was staring in the direction where the Wildebeasts retreated.

"Hey... do you hear something?" Naruto asked in a 'Am I crazy?' tone of voice, wondering if the others could hear it too. Perking their ears up, the lions could hear a noise that sounded almost like... crying and wailing. Growing curious they approached the general direction of the noise, with it growing louder as they came closer to its source.

It was a Hyena, standing in front of two others who were definitely run down by the Wildebeast herd when Naruto somehow frightened them into running away. From the sound of the sobbing voice, it was a female. Squinting his eyes slightly, Mufasa instantly recognized the female Hyena. "You again?!" He half roared making her freeze up and look over her shoulder towards the group.

"Recognize her?" Naruto asked, getting the feeling that she and the lions had met before.

"Yeah. She and her two pals tried to eat me and Simba back at the Elephant graveyard." Nala answered, growling slightly as her fur stood on end... which would have been a bit scary if she wasn't an adorable cub.

"I hardly find this to be a coincidence. You, Hyena. Why have you been trying to kill my son? Was it you and your companions that started the stampede? Speak!" The king demanded and flashed his teeth, stalking towards her and threatening to pounce.

"We... We were told to okay?! Please just... please don't kill me. I don't wanna die." She pleaded for her life, shrinking herself into the ground to make herself look as small and non-threatening as possible.

"Told to? Confess and I might be convinced to spare you. Refuse, and you'll be taken to the black pits to die a slow and terrible death." Mufasa growled, his form towering over the whimpering Hyena as she tried to bury her face into the ground.

"Black pits? What are those?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms, getting the feeling that it was something quite terrible if the king was threatening to use it.

"The Black pits is a small field where this black and sticky substance fills the ground. Once you set paw or hoof into it, there is no escape. And you are forced to endure a slow and agonizing death to die beneath the sun and later being picked apart by the vultures. It is a punishment reserved for only the worst of villains within the Pride lands. A fate that this Hyena may soon meet if she doesn't speak." The king directed the last sentence to the cowering female. From Mufasa's description, it sounded like it was in fact a tar pit. But the whiskered teen saw no point in correcting him.

"All right! I'll tell you everything! It was Scar! He told us to kill the cub! The first time, he said he'd lure him to the Elephant graveyard so we could kill him, but that didn't work when you came for your cub. So Scar then told us to attack the Wildebeasts to make them stampede! He said that it'd look like an accident, and no one would suspect! That's the truth, I swear! Just please don't kill me or send me to the Black pits!" She confessed as she covered her head with her paws.

"How do I know you aren't lying to save your hide?" Mufasa growled questioningly, glaring down at as he slammed a massive paw just inches from her face with his claws on full display, earning some blubbering noises from her.

"Umm... dad? I think she's telling the truth." Simba spoke as he nudged his father, earning odd looks from him, the ninja and his childhood friend.

"Why? What makes you believe her?" Naruto asked out of curiosity, getting the feeling that the cub had a reason to believe so, otherwise he wouldn't have said anything.

"Because... it was Uncle Scar that told me about the Elephant graveyard in the first place. And today... he brought me to this gorge, and said there was some big surprise waiting for me." The cub responded, earning a wide eyed expression from the king.

"Scar told you? He never said anything about the Elephant graveyard being the domain of the Hyenas?" Mufasa asked, making his cub shake his head negatively. Confirming the fact that Scar deliberately put Simba in mortal danger.

"I'll be damned. The bastard led Simba here, so that you would be baited into rescuing him from the herd, only to die in the attempt. With you and your heir out of the way, he'd be king. Isn't that right?" Naruto asked, quickly piecing together the scheme Scar had planned, his question earning a stiff nod from the crimson maned lion.

"And what did Scar promise you in exchange for your help?" The king asked the Hyena, although he already had a good idea as to what was promised, he had to confirm it.

"The Pride lands... Scar said that if we made him king, we could roam and hunt on the Pride lands whenever and wherever we wanted. We could even stay at Pride rock." She replied swiftly, her answer actually being something the king hadn't suspected. Mufasa thought that perhaps they were offered some hunting grounds or something... but the entirety of the Pride lands? And his own home no less? That was too far.

"What is your name Hyena?" The king asked with a small snarl, the female gulping nervously as she stuttered the name 'Shenzi'.

"Then Shenzi, we shall bring you to Pride rock for judgement. Since you have been cooperative, your life shall be spared. But you will still be punished for colluding with Scar. If you try to escape, you will be hunted down and killed. Is that clear?" Mufasa asked making Shenzi quickly nod her head, looking almost relieved that she wasn't going to be killed.

"Don't worry about her running. I got just the thing." Naruto spoke as he reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out some wire, he then grabbed her legs and quickly bound them nice and tight, earning a pained yelp from the spotted Hyena.

"Hey! Hey! Take it easy with that! That hurts!" She yelled out, cringing as she slowly lost feeling in her paws.

"It's supposed to hurt dummy. The point is to have it nice and tight so you can't bolt. Now to ensure you can't bite." He replied bluntly and wrapped some of the wire around her muzzle so that she couldn't try and attack him, all for the sake of safety precautions and all that good stuff. With a sigh, the blonde lifted her up, placing his head in the space of her legs and belly and kept her on his shoulders.

"Sorry Nala. No ride for you till we get this all sorted out." He apologized making the lioness cub nod in understanding.

"Nala, get on my back with Simba. We'll be able to go faster that way. Scar still thinks we're ignorant of his plans. We must cut off the head of the serpent immediately before he tries something else." The king spoke as the two cubs steadied themselves on his back, ready for the ride back to Pride rock.

"Hey Dad? Naruto called Unc... err Scar, a 'bastard'. What's a bastard?" Simba asked out of curiosity, wondering what it meant for the Human to have called his would-be murderer that.

"Somebody who should not have been born." Mufasa replied to his son, growling angrily at the ultimate betrayal. The betrayal of a loved one. And very soon, said Bastard would be held accountable for his sins, to be swiftly punished so that he may never again try to bring harm to Simba or the Pride lands. As King, and more importantly as a Father, Mufasa would see to it himself.

 **End Chapter one.**

 **A/N: Just a little something I threw together and sincerely hope it was to your liking. If not, well... you can't please everyone so why bother trying? Part two is well underway, and I promise to see about updating the next chapter of Invincible. Just remember, my muse is a fickle bitch with a short attention span.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry for the wait my faithful readers. Lately though, I have been on a Kingdom Hearts binge after borrowing the PS4 collection from my brother-in-law and have kinda gotten into it. I hope you enjoy this little fic. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. To all flamers and abusers of the Guest review: Zero fuqs given.**

 **And a very special thanks to Fighting Joe.**

 **Chapter one: Prologue. (Part two.)**

"Are you all right there Naruto? It was somewhat of a trek." The king asked out of concern as the lad was huffing and puffing slightly, sweat drippind down his body as he dumped Shenzi to the ground, making her glare up at him for the rough treatment.

"Yup. Just need a minute... to catch my breath. You go on ahead, I'll keep our eye-witness here while you put old Scar on the spot. Give me a holler whenever you're ready for us." The blonde replied, giving Mufasa a small wink. The crimson maned lion then smirked slightly, seeing what the boy was getting at, so he padded along towards the flats where the lionesses were waiting.

Scar was there too, and it was plain to see from the look in his eyes... he was trying not to show his fury at his failure. Both Sarafina and Sarabi were pleased to see their cubs returned home safely, deeply nuzzling their children while crying some tears of joy. It was then that Zazu spoke "I am pleased to see your return your majesty, along with the cubs... but where is Mr. Naruto? Was he not with you?"

"Yes, where is the human?" Scar asked in fake concern, though if Mufasa had to warrant a guess... the schemer was fishing for a consolation prize.

"He'll be along shortly. I have to ask you Scar... what was the 'big surpise' you had planned for my son?" The king asked, his face a hardened mask as he stared down his brother. The black maned lion's eyes flicked between Simba and the king quite nervously for a moment before he regained his composure.

"Ah yes. THAT surprise. I was going to show him the Wildebeast herd once I had gotten you, then I wanted to show him how two lions really hunt. Maybe treat him to some fresh Wildebeast meat." He lied smoothly, all the while the Lionesses watched in silent curiosity, wondering what was happening between the two brothers.

"Really? How convenient. So then, if you left my son in the ravine to come get me... how did you know of the stampede?" Mufasa asked, his question catching his brother off guard and exposing his lie. Scar's voice stuck in his throat, making some small choking sounds as he tried to come up with an excuse.

"No answer? Then how about the fact you failed to warn my son that Hyenas lived in the Elephant graveyard?" Mufasa growled as he stalked closer to his brother, slowly backing him into a corner. At these questions, the Lionesses began to heatedly glare at Scar as they started to surround him, cutting off any chance of escape he may attempt.

"Admit your guilt. You wanted my son to die both times to extinguish my bloodline, but the stampede was meant to snuff out my life as I attempted to save Simba. With both of us dead and gone, you would be the new king." Mufasa flat out accussed, now painting his brother as a traitor and attempted murderer in front of the whole pride.

Scar cleared his throat and regained his composure, letting out a chuckle as he spoke in his 'charming' voice "Quite a tale you've spun brother. But, unless I have the power to be in two places at once, it'd be impossible for me to frighten the Wildebeast herd and fetch you at the same time. And I had no reason to believe that Simba would actually go to the graveyard since it was quite a good distance from Pride rock."

"Lie all you want Scar. It only deepens your guilt. Especially since we received a confession. NARUTO!" The king roared, summoning the human forth. The black maned lion's face then fell as he muttered questioningly 'confession?'

After a few moments, Naruto appeared, dragging along Shenzi who was busy grunting in pain as the boy deposited her to the ground in front of the Pride. He then slipped off the wires around her muzzle, and spoke to her with a triumphant tone "Go on Shenzi, tell everyone what you told us." With a nod, she began to tell the Pride about all of Scar's machinations and dealings, completely exposing the truth for all to hear, and then made sure to announce that Mufasa had promised to spare her life in case he tried to back out of that oath. Her confession, combined with the open-mouthed expression on Scar's face was all that was needed to finalize his guilt.

"Scar... for your crimes, I disown you from my family, from our Pride, and from our very species. In my eyes, you are no longer even a Lion. Much less a brother. You shall be taken to the Black pits to die beneath the sun. Have you any final words?" The king spoke, his voice now blank and emotionless, though his eyes showed a semblance of sadness... he had a duty to his cub, to his Pride, and as King.

"Zira! Help me! What of our cub?!" Scar shouted out towards the lioness, making her back slowly away as her Pride-sisters all looked at her upon realization that she was carrying the cub of a traitor. They gazed at her as though she were now a stange insect, unsure if they should crush her for fear of her being poisonous or to let her be to crawl away into some dark hole.

"N... Now you care? You care now that I can be useful? You care in the hopes this cub may save your life?! I... You're not worth it! You're a horrible, horrible creature!" Zira shouted angrily then stormed off into the den of Pride rock to escape the stares of the other Lionesses.

"A vain attempt doomed to failure. Trying to use your unborn cub to preserve your life? You shame yourself ever further. Lionesses... take him away and put him under guard. Come dawn, he goes to the Black pits." The king spoke in a bitter tone, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and fury as his former brother was led away by a group of lionesses. With a roar of fury, the traitor attempted to flee and escape his fate. He didn't get very far as his guards quickly overtook and trapped him.

"Need a little help ladies?" Naruto asked as he held up more wire, and used it to bind Scar's legs, preventing him from further escape attempts. With that done, the black maned lion was dragged away to a more secluded area until it was time for his punishment.

The ninja in training looked over his shoulder and saw Mufasa walking away, obviously wishing to be alone right now. Understandable since he nearly lost his son, and now lost a brother who was nothing but a murderous traitor. "Being king isn't always easy is it?" Naruto asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye and noticing that Sarabi was sitting next to him, watching her mate leaving for privacy.

"No. It is not. As king and a father, he must protect his family and his Pride. If he let Scar go free because of their bond as brothers, then Scar may have one day returned and possibly succeed in another plot of some sort." She explained in a simplistic manner, informing the boy of the consequences of what happens when a leader doesn't maintain law and order in their kingdom.

"You know... for the longest time, I wanted to be the Hokage of my village. That's what we call our 'king'. I wanted to be Hokage because, I wanted to be recognized, respected and treated like somebody important. To be honest... I never really thought about what it really meant to be a 'King'. Now, after all that's happened here... I think I have a better idea now. It makes me question what I really want to do in my future." He explained as he sat down on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest as he called into question his dream of being his village's Hokage.

"Let me share with you some advice. Being the leader of your homeland is an admirable goal, but to be a leader or a king, means that you shall be the one others rely on. They shall come to you, hoping for your help. Others will covet your power and position, as you have witnessed between Scar and Mufasa. If you ever become the leader of something, you must surround yourself with only the faithful and loyal, those whom you can trust and shall trust you in return unconditionally. But be warned, that to be a King means that you shall face difficult choices and dilemmas, and you won't always be ready for them." She cautioned him in a gentle tone, nuzzling his shoulder with a small smile.

"Thanks Sarabi. That helps a bit. One of these days... I'll figure out for myself whether I wanna be a leader or not. But, I don't think that's gonna happen for a long while." He responded and scratched behind her ears making her purr deeply in her throat. He then looked towards the den that Zira vanished into, wondering what might become of her.

"What'll happen to Zira? She was Scar's mate, right?" He asked a bit out of concern, frowning at the fact she might become an outcast within the Pride.

"Nothing good. According to our laws, if a traitor to the Pride sires a cub, then that cub is killed to prevent it from seeking revenge for its parent. If Zira conspired with her mate, she faces exile. If she is innocent, she will be forced to surrender her cub once it is born. Should she refuse, she'll be exiled anyway." Sarabi explained in a somber tone, as a mother herself, she knew it was a truly cruel thing to ask someone to give up their child.

"That's one of the biggest loads of shit I have ever heard. Why the hell should Zira's cub be punished for something it hasn't even done? That's not fair!" Naruto growled as he stopped petting the lioness and stood to his feet, his hands clenched tightly together.

"Indeed, old laws like that... are never truly fair. The cub need not even know the truth of it's sire if you ask me. Although... if a male crazy enough were to claim Zira and her cub as his own to take away from Pride rock when she is to be judged, it would solve a very large number of problems." Sarabi spoke with a smile gracing her face, a small wink being directed towards the human.

Taking this new piece of advice to heart, he gave a nod of understanding. "What about her?" He asked, pointing towards Shenzi who was busy trying to chew through the wiring binding her legs, only to whimper from the metal wires causing pain to her teeth and gums.

"Usually... death. But if the king promised to spare her, then another punishment must be chosen. Perhaps you could aid in that decision?" She proposed, earning another nod from the blonde.

"I'll see what I can do. Till then, I'll be keeping an eye on her till Mufasa's ready. And Sarabi? Thanks for all the advice. It really helps." He spoke and patted her head in thanks. She merely smiled since even leaders occasionally needed someone to speak to about their problems, and since she was the Queen she was often her mate's confidant.

The blonde brushed off some dirt on his clothes and approached the bound Hyena, almost smirking at her current misery. "You won't be chewing through that any time soon. You'll only succeed in cutting up your gums. May as well give it a rest there." He spoke in an almost mocking tone of voice.

"You just wait, once I get free, I'll be sure to get some sweet and juicy revenge on you." She replied angrily, her fur standing on end as she showed off her teeth.

"Watch what you say. Wouldn't want the lions to think you were a threat or anything and then give them a reason to kill you." He warned her mockingly, although the threat was indeed very real. She clamped her mouth shut then sank into the ground in defeat, although she still grumbled under her breath a bit.

"That's better. All right then, upsie-daisy." He spoke and lifted her up onto his shoulders, carrying her to his campsite to ensure she wouldn't be inconveniencing the Lionesses anytime soon. After a short walk, he deposited her back onto the ground close to the remains of his campfire which was now nothing but ash and some remnants of twigs left to smolder.

With a sigh, he used a Kunai to cut off a portion of meat that the lionesses had given him earlier then tossed it to the captive Hyena. "Here." Was all the blonde spoke as he began working to build up a new fire to cook his own food.

"Wait... you're actually feeding me? What for?" Shenzi asked in surprise since it was the first time that anyone had actually offered her food before.

"You might be a prisoner, but I don't think you really deserve to starve to death... unless of course you had some personal desire to murder an innocent cub?" The blonde asked with a heated glare, his hand gripping tightly around his kunai as he felt the urge to stab out one of her eyes should that be the case.

"Wha? No! I had nothing against the brat okay?! I was just following orders! Blame Mufasa for what happened, ya hairless primate!" She yelled while uselessly kicking her bound legs.

"What's the king got to do with that then? What's your problem with him?" The blonde asked, as he placed some fresh wood he scavenged into his makeshift fire pit, and began striking together his flint to help start up a fire.

"It's because of the king and his Lionesses that me and my pack are stuck in the Elephant graveyard, barely scratching off a living as scavengers! We're always frickin' hungry! With Scar in charge, we could have had as much food as we wanted!" She complained, growling in disdain towards the lions off in the distance.

"Oh yeah? You could have asked Mufasa all nicely for a hunting ground or something. Heck, you could have found someplace else to live, somewhere away from the Pride lands and Mufasa's territory, it's not like the Pride lands is the entirety of the world you know. There's bound to be a better place for you and your pack somewhere out there." Naruto scolded her as though he were talking to an idiot.

Her jaw dropped at this, making her head dip towards the ground as she mumbled to herself about not having thought of that before. "Okay. Fine. You... make a good point I guess. It's just... never mind... I doubt you'd really get it." She spoke in a tone of utter defeat, turning her head away from the human.

"Lemme guess, you're tired of being an outcast? Of being looked down on? So you want to get one over on those you believe to be oppressing you?" The blonde asked in a rather perceptive manner, making his prisoner turn towards him with widened eyes.

"How'd you know that?" She asked him, surprised that he picked up on her feelings so easily.

"Takes an outcast to know an outcast. Don't think you're the only one to be suffering in the world. I had no parents and had to pretty much take care of myself my whole life, adults would always avoid me like a plague and tell their kids to do the same. And there's this one guy I feel I could possibly be friends with named Sasuke, who has or at least had everything I could want... but he lost some of those things and wasn't even grateful for the time he had with them. So now he acts like an asshole to everybody and views himself as superior or something. He seems to take a particular liking in putting me down too, if only to make himself feel better, so that whole 'friends' notion got shot down pretty quick. So yeah, I kinda do get it." He explained in a matter of fact tone, crossing his arms at Shenzi with a small scowl on his face.

"Wow... you... really had it rough huh?" She asked him, getting a better understanding of the human, and began to feel a certain... kinship to him. "What did you do about it then?" She asked, referring to how he handled his status as a fellow Pariah.

"Well, people label me before getting to know me. So I guess, I do my best to beat their low expectations and show that I'm more than what they think of me. That way, I suppose I'm telling them to fuck off for underestimating me. That make sense?" He asked at the end, wondering if he explained in a way she could understand.

"Yeah. Kinda does. Maybe I'll try that. See where it goes from there." She replied with a small smile, then began nibbling on the meat he had given her earlier to help calm her growling stomach.

"By the way, what about your buddies? There were two other Hyena's with you. Wanna go back and bury them or something?" He asked her, remembering the two bodies lying where he and the others had found her earlier in the gorge.

"Buddies? Oh, you mean Banzai and Ed? Sure, we hanged out and had a few laughs together, but we weren't really 'friends'. More like partners-in-crime." she replied while shaking her head.

"Oh. For some reason... that makes more sense to me. I just thought you were close to them since you were crying for them." He spoke with a shrug of his shoulders as he roasted some meat over his new fire.

"No, no, no. I was crying NEXT to them, not for them. I had just survived that Wildebeast stampede, and watched as they got trampled just inches from my face. Then I realized 'That could have been me'!" She explained to the human.

"Ahhhhh. I get it. You were in shock at your own survival. So... there was no real emotional investment or attactment to those guys?" Naruto asked as he turned the meat over to roast it more evenly.

"Nope." Was her only reply along with a small scoff of dismissal. The two then ate in a much more comfortable silence, a large amount of animosity quickly vanishing as they bonded together. Realizing that they were a bit more alike than one may think.

 **The next morning.**

Dawn had arrived with the sun barely peeking over the horizon, and the entire Pride had gathered for the judgement of both Zira and Shenzi. According to Sarabi, once they had been dealt with Scar would then be taken to his death. To Naruto's knowledge, he supposed that it was a process of elimination and tying up loose ends. The blonde himself sat next to the Queen and King, since he himself was a witness and a guest of honor for saving the life of Simba with The prince sitting in the human's lap.

To the side, Scar himself was under heavy guard by his soon-to-be executioners, but thanks to the wire around his legs, cutting off the bloodflow, and preventing him from running thanks to Naruto's skills with knots and properly tying off the wire. Skills he had attained from hunting in the Forest of Death when he was low on funds. But that was just extra details at this point. There were more important matters at hand.

"Zira, after an investigation conducted by Zazu amongst the Lionesses, I find you innocent of any involvement in Scar's plot. But according to the old laws, I ask you now, when your cub is born, will you surrender it... or will you accept exile?" Mufasa spoke in a tone of authority, his face impassive and utterly devoid of emotion as he needed to maintain appearances.

It was at this point, that Sarabi nudged the blonde boy in the ribs, reminding him of her earlier advice. With a subtle nod, the whiskered teen raised his hand and spoke "She doesn't need to. I'll take her and the cub with me out of the Pride lands." After he had uttered those words, a long silence filled the area, then the Lionesses began whispering amongst themselves at how bold the boy was for what he was trying to do. Many of their hearts were warmed by this mancub trying to help Zira and her unborn cub.

The Lioness in question herself, having a wide eyed expression on her face, her mouth agape and almost seemingly ready to invite a fly inside. It was as though she had fainted on her feet. "Very well then. Zira shall be in the care of our guest, but should she return with her cub then we shall have no choice than to put it to death. Bring the Hyena called Shenzi." Mufasa spoke as a pair of Lionesses pushed Zira to the side, who seemed to be mindlessly stumbling around like some kind of undead creature, still in shock at the mancub's kindness.

Shenzi however, was roughly shoved into view of the entire Pride, and she quickly curled herself into a ball, trying to look as meek and non-threatening as she could, lest she invoke the wrath of the Lionesses. "Shenzi, as promised, your life shall be spared. But you are hereby exiled forever from the Pride Lands, should you ever return, then you will be hunted down and killed on sight. Naruto, I trust you shall find a suitable place for her?" The king asked, having a feeling the boy was planning on taking the Hyena with him. The blonde mancub nodding in confirmation, seemingly taking it upon himself to save these poor creatures out of the goodness of his own heart.

"Very good. Now that the others have been properly judged... it is time to end this. Take Scar to the Black pits. See to it that he dies a slow and painful death as he so deserves. Young Naruto? Would you accompany the Lionesses to ensure the process goes smoothly? There is something you can help with that the Lionesses cannot." the king asked, knowing that the mancub had proven himself quite reliable.

"After what that prick tried to pull? I'd be happy to." The blonde replied as he slowly got up, letting Simba jump out of his lap. After giving the cub a quick ear scratching, he followed the group of Lionesses who were dragging Scar away. And they weren't even bothering to be gentle as they deliberately dragged him across some obviously sharp rocks and pebbles.

The black maned lion protested angrily and desperately kicked his bound legs, which made for a rather pathetic sight. Then Scar started hurling petty insults to the Lionesses, which earned him several hard kicks to his back from Naruto which quickly shut him up. After some time, with the traitor's options exhausted he began to weep uncontrollably which was possibly the most pathetic thing that his captors had ever seen.

At long last, they arrived at their intended destination, a large pond sized pit filled with nothing but a black substance was waiting there. Some skulls and skeletons of past victims being visible above the surface, a truly grim sight and a reminder to passerbys what will happen if they were to commit an unforgivable crime within the Pride Lands.

"Naruto? Could you help us with this?" Nala's mother Sarafina asked, as she and another pride-sister pulled a long vine out from nearby tree and handed one end to him, the blonde quickly noticing a look of terror on Scar's face as he started to hyperventilate.

"What's the vine for?" He asked, though for some reason... he already had a decent idea. But he had to be sure that he was using it for its intended purpose.

"Usually, Rafiki would do this for us... but the king requested for you specifically. Tie one end of the vine into a noose to put around Scar's neck, then climb up into the tree, very carefully, and put it over a sturdy limb for us to pull. It will keep Scar's head above the surface of the pits and keep him from dying prematurely. As you may guess... we cannot tie it ourselves." Sarafina explained, noting their lack of opposable thumbs.

"Wow. You guys don't do anything half-assed huh? Then again... a quick death would probably be too big a kindness for this piece of shit." The blonde replied as he began tying off the needed noose and then placed it around the prisoner's neck. With that part done, the whiskered teen took a breath and scurried up into the tree, thankful to his Forest of Death training that made him very proficient at climbing. After slipping the rest of the vine over the needed limb, he climbed back down and joined a pair of Lionesses who took their end of the vine within their mouths and began to pull.

The mancub assisting them as Scar was dragged into the Black pits, his body entering with a wet 'sploop' sound the tar immediately sticking to his fur and body which made it pretty difficult to drag him in, finally they managed to get him far enough away from solid ground to ensure he wouldn't be able to escape. Naruto tied the free end of the vine around an exposed tree root that Sarafina pointed out, to make sure that Scar didn't try to dip his head beneath the surface.

Once all was said and done, the blonde realized... that he was now responsible for the slow demise of another living creature... and he didn't even feel bad about it. But then he recalled how Scar attempted to murder Simba twice over, making it obvious why he felt no remorse for this. Though he didn't take any joy from it either, if he did... then he'd be worried about his mental stability.

"So what happens now?" The blonde asked with a shrug, unsure of where things were meant to go from here. He hadn't even made any progress in finding a way back home to Konoha.

"A Lioness shall pass by here daily to make sure that Scar hasn't escaped. It is highly unlikely, but we can't be too careful." Sarafina answered him as she and her Pride-sisters padded off, with the whiskered teen following close behind with his hands loosely clasped behind his head. The Lionesses stopped and tensed up as the sky above darkened, behind them Scar was shouting angrily while a dark aura surrounded what was visible of his body.

"It should have been me! ME! I should be King! I should rule the Pride lands! Mufasa and that brat should have died in that gorge! I will be King! The Pride lands are mine! MINE!" Scar roared angrily, as he shook his head violently, the noose around his neck snapping which caused him to fully sink into the tar pit. In Naruto's mind, that should have been the end of the traitor... but warning bells kept ringing inside of his head.

"Run... run away! Danger! Danger coming!" The blonde shouted as he sprinted away with the Lionesses following close behind him since they too sensed something wrong. A loud crash was heard as an explosion of rock, tar, and gravel showered the area, making them turn to see what had happened. They all stared in horror as the form of a tar covered Scar emerged, an inky black aura surrounded him. His body decorated with bones of past victims with a Wildebeast skull decorating his head and acting as a kind of helmet, making for a very intimidating sight.

Beneath his paws, a whirlpool of darkness formed and strange imp-like creatures began to climb out, their eyes glowing a pale yellow as they followed behind the Lion. "Wha... what are those creatures? How did Scar summon them?" A lioness asked as they backed away, trying to maintain their distance from this new phenomena.

"No idea. We gotta go. Now!" Naruto shouted as he and the Pride-sisters ran towards Pride rock to alert the king and all the others of what was transpiring.

Meanwhile, in the distance standing atop a hill, two figures were watching events unfold. They were dressed in black and their hoods hid their faces, but one of them pulled their hood back revealing a man with spiky crimson hair. "Seems things are getting pretty interesting now. I'm curious... was it the kid that allowed darkness to creep into this Realm? What do you think, Zero?" He asked his partner, who was busy looking through a telescope.

"Darkness is never that far away, Where there's light, darkness shall exist. And vice versa, it is a never-ending and symbiotic relationship. The brighter the light, the longer the shadow, the deeper the dark, the brighter the light. Scar already held it in his heart, but his plans were thwarted and it seems the darkness claimed his heart when he was met with his own end. That boy was not the cause, necessarily, but he was a catalyst of sorts. That child possibly has one of the most dangerous powers of all... the defy and manipulate the very course of fate itself." The one called Zero answered in a philosophical manner, almost chuckling in amusement.

"No kidding. So what's the play then boss? You wanna lend the kid a hand? He's kind of out of his depth." The crimson haired man asked with a small smirk as he pulled out a bladed ring, with bits of fire emerging from the weapon.

"No. Not just yet, Axel. Let's wait a bit longer before we do anything. I have a good feeling about this one." Zero replied as a row of teeth became visible beneath the hood, showing a toothy grin.

"Your call then Boss." Axel replied as he put away his weapon, a smirk forming on his face as he desired to see things continue to escalate. It would prove to be an interesting spectacle to say the least.

 **Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts library.**

"Everyone! Big trouble! Disaster!" the form of Rikku shouted as she flew about the library in search of her fellow Gullwings. Her two friends, Yuna and Paine appearing, with the latter having a sour expression. Although Yuna seemed more concerned and was hoping that nothing else had happened... but that didn't seem to be the case. "Come quick! There's something wrong with the 'Lion King'!" the blonde fairy shouted as she flew down into the hidden vault containing the realm's storybooks.

Her partners chased after her and gaped in horror, seeing that the 'Lion King' the Realm of the Pride lands was now covered in a black aura. This could only mean one thing... the Heartless had creeped into the Pride Lands and it was a strong possibility that the boy from earlier was likely in there somewhere. "We have to get Master Aqua immediately! She'll handle this! She's currently in Wonderland, Paine, go fetch the master and tell her what's happening. Me and Rikku will scout the Pride lands to better determine the situation." Yuna spoke, taking on a roll of leadership during this crisis.

The silver haired fairy nodded and went towards a book labeled 'Alice in Wonderland' before vanishing into it, leaving both Yuna and Rikku to make their way into the Pride lands. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to undo any damage the Heartless may cause. They also silently hoped that the boy from earlier wasn't responsible for this. But for now, they needed more information since it'd be dangerous for their master Aqua to go in blind.

 **At Pride Rock.**

"Dear spirits... it seems like the end of all things out there." Spoke the form of Zazu as he and the entire Pride saw the creeping Darkness on the horizon, swallowing all things in its wake. Naruto and the other lionesses were now visible in the distance, running towards Pride rock with all haste.

Mufasa's eyes narrowed as he wondered what form of magic could cause this. He then turned to the Lionesses and spoke in a tone of authority "Get the cubs into the den, get every available Lioness and prepare yourselves. Zazu, fly as fast as your wings can carry you and get any of our Lionesses that are out on the hunt. We'll need every claw and tooth, for I sense that we'll be in for a fight." The king stated, prompting his aide to nod and fly off into the distance, the Pride-sisters taking positions around Pride rock as Sarabi took the cubs inside the den for their safety.

After a few more moments, the King was greeted by the forms of the mancub and his group who were now wheezing as they tried to catch their breath. "What's happening out there? What is that... darkness?" Mufasa asked, hoping to learn more of how or why this was now happening. The blonde teen raised up a hand as he finally caught his breath and began to explain the situation. He started with how things were, at first, going smoothly with Scar being dragged into the black pits... then something happened as the lion was now using a power that they had no knowledge of, and worse, strange black creatures were now following Scar as if he were some type of a leader figure.

The king was unsure of what to make of this account, but the Lionesses and even Sarafina all confirmed it to be true. With any luck, Rafiki would now be on his way to provide his advice of the situation. Until such time, they would need to hold out.

In the background, Naruto watched as... what could best be described as a black hole started to open into the sky. His hands now in a white knuckle grip as he cursed himself for his own powerlessness... if only he were stronger then he would be of better help. But what could he do against this? Unknown to him... the answer thrummed deeply inside of his chest... and his own heart.

 **End chapter two.**

 **Next time: The Heartless are now invading the Pride lands, a corrupted Scar at the lead, seeking vengeance. Will the Keyblade master Aqua be able to reach Pride rock in time? Or will Naruto stand alone against the all-consuming darkness? And who is the mysterious Zero? Find out next time.**

 **A/N: I wanted to try and make this a bit longer, but I thought that this'd be a decent stopping point without giving away too many spoilers. And it seems that Organization XIII is involved. Hope you enjoy. Reviews and suggestions are very much welcome. Feedback is also welcome. Hope you enjoy.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Nothing much to say here. Hope you enjoy the chapter. Feedback and reviews are very much welcome.**

 **A special thanks to Fighting Joe.**

 **Chapter three: Prepare for battle.**

"Where... am I now?" Asked the form of Naruto Uzumaki in apparent confusion, his eyes scanning the enviroment only to find nothing but a pitch black void in all directions. However at his feet seemed to be a circle of colored glass depicting a horned woman with green skin, a staff in hand with a raven on her shoulder, gazing at a princess with golden hair who seemed to be in a deep sleep. As he cautiously stepped closer towards the center, he heard a deep booming voice echo all around him.

" **What is it, that you seek?"** the voice asked him, causing the boy to search in all directions for the source but couldn't find it amidst the endless darkness. After a few moments, the voice repeated the question again. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated the question... after seeing the responsibility and weight of being a leader like Mufasa, the boy was no longer certain that he desired to be Hokage. Even if he were to be the village leader... he would likely be faced with deception and betrayal. And he was nowhere near ready to face such trials... but there was something that he desired... that he needed much more than respect or authority.

"I seek power. I need to be strong. I need to be much stronger if I'm to protect my friends and myself from danger. I... I don't want to be a piece of deadweight that can only talk big and scream about becoming Hokage or 'believe it'!" He shouted loud out into the void, clenching his fists into a white knuckle grip.

" **To gain something, you must be willing to sacrifice as well. Are you prepared to sacrifice for the sake of gaining power? Even if it means surrendering your dream?"** The voice asked him, making the boy grit his teeth and shake his head in dismay, having already made up his mind.

"To hell with being Hokage! I saw firsthand what it means to be a leader! It's not all about respect and authority. It's about making the hard choices, about doing what's best for everyone, about doing things to keep your friends and family safe. And I don't think that I'm ready for that kind of responsibility just yet. I just wanted to be the Hokage because I wanted to be respected and to show up all those people who looked down on or mocked me! But now... my friends are in danger, so I need the power to protect them!" He shouted and stomped his foot down, the glass beneath him cracking beneath him which made him gulp a bit.

" **Very well. Then the power you desire, is yours to take!"** The voice answered, and then the floor beneath the boy exploded beneath him in shards of colored glass as he fell down into the void, until all went white.

 **Pride Rock. Evening time.**

With a startled gasp, the blonde's eyes snapped open as he awoke from his dreams and found himself in a cold sweat. He looked around and was relieved to find himself where he belonged, his back was propped up against Sarabi's warm body with Mufasa's face just inches from her own. The cubs Simba and Nala were both sleeping next to the blonde's legs. And all the other lionesses were asleep in a mass of bodies to keep each other warm in the cold night. Off to the side was Shenzi who seemed to be cackling in her sleep, her bound legs moving around as if she were chasing something making for a somewhat cute sight... then he noticed a lone lioness sitting out in the Den's doorway, gazing out towards the plains.

Growing curious, the whiskered teen slowly got up and carefully tiptoed around the lionesses to avoid waking anyone up, fortunately it seemed that they were all heavy sleepers since they didn't seem to even acknowledge his awkward steps. After finally clearing the sleeping Pride-sisters, he walked up to the den's entrway and found the Lioness who was still awake to be Zira, blankly staring out across the Pride lands.

"Can't sleep huh? You having weird dreams too? Or did you volunteer for guard duty?" He asked her in a friendly voice, earning a low growl from her making him wince slightly... it seems like she would still act hostile to him, even after he had tried to save her unborn cub. He thought about what little he knew of Zira... how she briefly mentioned being toxic to others, how Nala mentioned that she was cranky and mean all the time, and how Scar had treated her. In some ways... it kind of reminded him of somebody else that was always rude to others for no apparent reason other than to simply be an asshole.

"I think I figured out what you're problem is Zira. I know somebody that, like you, is always mean to those around him. He does it because he thinks that he doesn't need anybody and can do everything for himself, by himself and that nobody else matters except himself. You? I think it's because you're hurting. Deep, deep down, there's this big gaping hole in your heart. You thought maybe Scar could fill it up, but instead he took advantage of a sad and lonely Lioness' pain and betrayed your trust. But you stuck with him, hoping that it'd get better. And you push others away because you're scared of being hurt again, so you lash out and behave in a hostile manner to protect yourself. That about right?" He spoke with a small smile, and noticed that her eyes flicked towards his direction and her body had tensed up, signaling that he'd hit the nail on the head.

He slowly reached forward to scratch her behind the ears, but his hand was swatted away by her paw making him yelp painfully. He quickly turned around to see if he'd accidentally startled any of the sleeping Pride members, but they were still fast asleep making him sigh in relief. "Don't you dare touch me." Zira growled as she stared out across the landscape, even in the dead of night, the all-consuming darkness was there and slowly creeping upon Pride Rock, and the black hole in the sky also seemed to be expanding, as though it were preparing to swallow up the world around them.

"Why? Why is Scar taking his sweet time in getting here?" She growled as she impatiently tapped her claws against the stone floor.

"Could be Psychological warfare." The blonde answered plainly as he sat down next to her and crossed his legs. His statement earning a confused look from the Lioness.

"Meaning?" She questioned him in an irritated voice, the corner of her mouth twitching in annoyance.

"Mind games. He's not attacking us just yet because he wants to put us on edge. Get us riled up and then he'll attack when we let our guard down or something. Seems Mufasa already saw through that though." The whiskered teen replied while jabbing a thumb in the direction of the sleeping Pride members earning a quiet 'oh' from Zira. She briefly huffed as she dragged a claw across the ground with a sour look on her face.

"Why did you do it? Why claim me and my cub? That is what's keeping me awake. I have been asking myself that over and over, and I can't begin to fathom why you would do such a crazy thing since you have nothing obvious to gain. I would have been fine with being exiled." She asked him with a sneer, her teeth flashing in the dimmed moonlight.

"I dunno. Out of the goodness of my heart? It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and Sarabi suggested it. Said it would help solve some problems. I thought about maybe taking you and Shenzi back home with me, give you a place to stay instead of wandering out in the wilderness where anything could happen to you." He replied honestly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly... and then found himself pinned beneath Zira who was snarling ferociously.

"You can't be serious! That's it?! Because it was the right thing? Are you mocking me?! No one is that selfless! No one!" She growled out deeply in her throat, her eyes blazing with fury, giving them a bloodshot and almost demonic appearance.

"I am serious. And you'd be surprised. Maybe you haven't experienced much in the ways of kindness or compassion... but that doesn't mean you should give up hope. There are good people out there, even if they can sometimes be hard to find." He replied in a calm tone that surprised even himself as he gently pushed the lioness off of him. She offered little resistance as her face was completely dumbstruck by his words.

She then shook off her stupor and replied in a bitter tone "You're wrong. Good people...don't exist. I thought as you did once... but it's all a myth. Hope? Faith? Good will? It's all just pretty little words people use to make themselves feel better in a harsh and cruel, unforgiving world. There's no such thing as 'goodness'. The only meaningful thing in life, is surviving and living to see past tomorrow. Creatures like you, with your beliefs in the 'good of others'... you all sicken me." With those words... she started to pad off, but her tail was gently pulled by the blonde. Causing her to wheel around and give him a warning growl to let go.

"What? You think I had it easy? I'm an orphan and I have absolute zero knowledge about who my family was. I don't know if they died, if they abandoned me, or had to give me up for some reason and it's been eating me up inside for years. I had to take care of myself for the most part and I had very few friends growing up. And at school, I am often picked on in my class because I keep messing up. So I do pranks to get attention, even if it means I get into trouble for it. But I never gave up on others, or lost my faith in others. What about you? What's your story?" The blonde asked as he released her tail, his question earning a ferocious snarl from the lioness.

"Fine! You want to know why? This wasn't my original pride! I was born into one that lived outside the Pride Lands, and you know what happened to us? Plague. Plague happened, it slowly ate up my friends and family from the inside-out, and there was nothing I could do but watch them suffer. I begged and pleaded to others for help, but they would turn me away, run in terror, or try to throw rocks at me for fear of catching the plague as well. You know what that's like? To be powerless to help your loved ones? It wasn't until I was a young adult that I joined Mufasa's Pride. The rest is history." Zira explained bitterly, grumbling angrily as she flexed her claws while the blonde listened to her brief story, however... he could tell that it was a past that has haunted her for a long time.

"I don't know what that's like. You're right about that. That's both my blessing, and my curse. You may have lost your family, but you at least had them to lose in the first place. You must have some happy memories of them. I don't even know the reason my parents left me. A bad thing happened when you were a cub, and you haven't been able to move on. That kind of reminds of Sasuke too, he has never been able to heal from losing his clan and family... or maybe he doesn't even want to try and heal. But that doesn't mean you should give up on others... I mean... I'm helping you, aren't I?" He asked with a kind smile, earning some sputtering noises from the Lioness as she tried to come up with some kind of argument to refute him.

"Oh, for spirits sake! Find some other den to work out your issues, then hate-mate with each other and get it over with!" Spoke the cranky form of Shenzi as she stared at the two with a look of anger, obviously she wasn't as heavy a sleeper as the Lions.

"Hate-mate?... ohhhhhhhhh." Naruto spoke with a deep blush as he rubbed his arm with Zira following closely behind him as she stared at the ground to hide her discomcort, their little heart to heart moment being interrupted.

"I'm not interested in cubs." Zira muttered out of spite as she sighed tiredly while rubbing her forehead. She stiffened up when she felt an alien feeling touch her from behind... and then recognized it as the boy's fingers scratching behind her ears earning a reluctant purring noise from her.

"As I was saying... there are good people out there. Don't believe me? I'll prove you wrong myself." He spoke with a chuckle, earning a rueful laugh from the lioness.

"I suppose, if nothing else, I can look forward to the day I can say 'I told you so'." She answered with a mocking tone in her voice as the two seemed to laugh together.

"Soooooo, are you going to hate-mate? It's not going to be gentle or loving is it? It's going to be nasty and rough, like it's the only kind of catharsis you can get without using violence right?" Shenzi asked in a snarky tone, almost daring the two to go at it in the middle of the night.

"Shut up Shenzi, you're ruining the moment with your crass jokes." Naruto spoke as he half-heartedly tossed a pebble in the Hyena's direction which hit the wall above her making her chuckle in amusement before trying to fall back asleep. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

 **Meanwhile.**

"Hey boss. Look at what I found flying about." Spoke the form of Axel as he held up a birdcage in his hand, the occupants inside being the Gullwings Yuna and Rikku as they tried to reach for the lock, but to no avail since they couldn't get a good grip on the latch. The two of them muttering to each other why a pair of Nobodies were in one of the realms. The hooded figure of Zero, sat on a boulder, looking through a telescope towards Pride rock observing the forms of Naruto and Zira in the den's entryway. What seemed to be a hostile conversation seems to have eased into a more relaxed atmosphere.

"You better let us go right now! Our master Aqua is a powerful Keyblade Master, and she won't appreciate you treating her assistants like this!" Rikku shouted as she angrily stomped on the cage floor, earning a chuckle from Axel.

Zero lowered the telescope and spoke in a flat tone of voice "Master Aqua... the guardian of the realms. Interesting. The boy doesn't seem to have a keyblade just yet, so he likely isn't Aqua's apprentice. Just what is he doing here?"

"Please! Let us go! We have to report to master Aqua about the Heartless before they swallow up this realm! If you release us, we won't tell her about you. I promise! And that boy stumbled upon the realm's story books and got sucked inside, he's not even supposed to be here!" Yuna pleaded, trying to reason with her and Rikku's captors.

The crimson haired Nobody chuckled a bit and asked "What's the play then boss? I thought our job was to observe the Heartless for a spell. But the way things are now? It's kinda boring seeing this world being swallowed up by the darkness. Think we should level the playing field a bit? Seems only fair to give them a fighting chance, right Zero?"

Zero's fingers tapped against the telescope a few times, a low 'hmm' sound being heard as the cloaked figure was in deep thought until finally the hooded Nobody answered "The current pace of things is much too idle and stale... but I may have a solution to that." The two Nobodies then turned towards another cage with a warthog and meerkat trapped inside as they trembled in terror.

"Timon and Pumbaa is it? Sorry for caging you, but you're fairly important to this realm. I'll make you a deal though. Me and my subordinate Axel will release you, and all you need to do in exchange, is to take those fairies to Pride rock." Zero offered, holding the key to their cage almost as if one would hold out a treat to a hungry animal.

"Are you kidding?! Pride Rock? But that's where the lions live! Why do you think it's called 'Pride rock'? Look buddy, I don't know what your game is, but me and Pumbaa aren't about to be served up for dinner." Spoke the form of Timon, with his warthog pal nodding in agreement since it was known Lions ate warthogs for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"As you wish. Though a word of advice? You are far more likely to find safety with the lions than out there." Zero replied, pointing towards the encroaching darkness that was slowly spreading across the plains.

"You know Timon, it might not be the best idea to go into a Den of lions, but it'll be worse to take our chances with all those black things out there." Pumbaa spoke, offering his thoughts to his best friend. It didn't take long for his meerkat pal to quickly nod in agreement to this idea, albeit reluctantly. With a nod, the hooded Nobody opened their cage and then placed the birdcage containing the fairies against Pumbaa's mouth to allow him to carry it.

Once Timon climbed onto Pumbaa's back, a toothy smile could be seen in the shadow's of Zero's hood. "Good choice. Allow me to help you get jump-started." The hooded figure spoke, and then the warthog felt a piercing pain in his backside making him yell out in pain and start charging across the plains with a dust cloud trailing behind him.

"Heh. Well this will be interesting. Hopefully we'll be able to see something entertaining." Axel spoke as he crossed his arms, a smirk forming on his face.

"Agreed. It has been some time since the Heartless were this active. The only things I know that could draw them together in such great numbers... would likely be a creature full of wickedness like Scar, or perhaps a Keyblade wielder. Either way... this will make for quite the show." Zero spoke with a chuckle and lifted up the telescope again to look through it to observe the warthog's progress in reaching Pride rock.

 **Elsewhere. In Wonderland.**

"Not here either. And still so many realms to cover. It'd be easier if I knew which realm he fell into." Muttered the form of Aqua as she marched through the Queen's garden, the patrolling Card guards ignoring her presence as she continued to search for the missing boy. All the while she cursed herself for this stupid mistake, for all these years she had kept the realms safe without any incident and now because of her carelessness, a child had not only discovered the Storybook vault, but accidentally ventured into a realm.

Hopefully, he fell into a realm where he wouldn't be able to mess with the natural order too much. Still... her time disguised as a Librarian had been so utterly quiet she had started to view it as a kind of semi-retirement, no Heartless had appeared either since the realms had all been sealed, and the only thing she really needed to fight off were annoying and overly flirty guys like that creep Iruka. It should have come as no surprise that she became lazy and complacent and was now paying for it. But still, she could fix this. She just had to find the boy, erase his memories and then this would all go away and she'd be much more aware of any lingering visitors to her library from here on.

"Master Aqua! Master Aqua!" Called a familiar voice as the form of the fairy Paine appeared, her hands on her knees as she panted heavily. The Keyblade master raising an eyebrow and wondering why one of her assistants was in such a rush to find her.

"What happened Paine? Did that boy return to the library on his own somehow?" The bluenette asked as she crossed her arms, waiting patiently as the silver haired fairy started to get her second wind. It would be unlikely if he found a way back, but there was still a small chance.

"No. We have an emergency. The 'Lion King' is showing the presence of Heartless. You need to go to the Pride lands and stop them immediately! Yuna and Rikku are there to scout around and get a read on what's happening." Paine spoke, giving a brief report of the situation. Aqua gasped a bit in surprise then adopted a thinking pose for a few moments. It was highly unlikely for a young child to possess enough darkness to lure out the Heartless... something else must have happened to draw the Heartless out of hiding. Such as an entity of pure evil finally becoming a Heartless itself.

"I see. Chances are, our missing boy is there too. We must hurry before the Pride Lands are lost to us." Aqua spoke as she summoned her keyblade in hand and tapped it against the ground, a sphere of light surrounding the two until they vanished out of existence. They'd need to hurry before it was too late to save the Pride Lands.

 **Back at Pride Rock. Early morning.**

The sun began to rise over the horizen, though it's rays seemed to have dimmed with the blanket of darkness covering the sky and landscape, though it did provide the needed illumination. In Naruto's eyes, it seemed like the Pride lands were now a sea of blackness that spread like a poison, or like a cancer. The Lionesses stood guard with visibly worried expressions, obviously they were all at a loss on what to do during times like these. Even the wise Mufasa was at a loss, and many Lionesses were becoming increasingly worried since Zazu hadn't returned with any of their Pride-sisters.

Zira sat off to the side, occasionally giving the Human boy odd looks and the occasional mocking smirk, though she didn't seem to have any real hostility to him at the moment. And Shenzi was currently at the mercy of the cubs Nala and Simba, who both seemed to be happy to tease and climb all over the spotted Hyena and poke at her with their developing claws or pull on her ears or tail. According to them, it was payback for when she and her goon squad chased them back in the Elephant graveyard and for causing the stampede. The Hyena offered little resistance since she knew she kinda earned this, and she could have been worse off... plus if she tried to bite at the cubs, that might lead to the Lions tossing her to those black creatures everyone was so afraid of.

"Still nothing. It seems as if Scar is just... waiting for something to happen." Mufasa thought aloud as he paced in thought, wishing that he could consult Rafiki on the matter of those creatures, but the baboon was nowhere to be found. Had that darkness taken him like the landscape?

"Might have to do with that big hole in the sky. Back home, we call those things Black Holes. Some kind of cosmic force that can suck in all things, including light itself. Nothing can escape them once you get too close. Scar might be waiting for it to consume the Pride lands." Naruto spoke, pointing towards the growing hole in the sky as he rested his body against Sarafina's warm body, trying to stay relaxed and calm even in this dire situation.

"Makes sense in a way. If I had my way, we'd charge across the Pride lands and take the fight to Scar directly, but we know nothing about the creatures he leads, nor do we know his current location, and I do not wish to endanger the Lionesses." Mufasa replied thoughtfully, though it was easy to tell by how restless he was that he was thinking a mile a minute.

"Might come down to it though. During times like these, it may be impossible to get through without casualities... yet another grim responsibility of being King." The blonde boy responded with a sigh, earning a somber nod from the crimson maned Lion. As the King sat down with a frustrated sigh, a Lioness came padding up to him and whispered something into his ear. The King's ears perked up then a small smile formed on his face.

"It seems we have some visitors. And two of them seem to bear a striking resemblance to you, young Naruto." The King announced as a pair of Lionesses escorted a warthog that had a meerkat riding his back, and in his mouth was a birdcage with two little fairies... one of which the blonde immediately recognized.

"Ehhhh, should we like, bow or something?" The meerkat spoke with a nervous chuckle, obviously feeling very intimidated by the presence of the Predators, especially since they could likely swallow him down in one swift bite. The warthog placed down the birdcage and replied to his little friend "Probably a good idea, we are in the presence of the King, I think."

The Meerkat immediately leapt down and dropped to his knees, placing his face against the ground with his arms stretched out in front of him. "Oh please, your highness! We come to you in peace! Please don't eat us!" The various lions all chuckled in amusement, while they may be predators, they were far from savages... but it was still quite funny to see other animals grovel for their lives when they weren't in any real danger.

"Be at ease. We will not be eating you... though that may change if you were to cause trouble unto us." Mufasa replied in a half-joking and half-serious manner, flashing his teeth to emphasize both the joke and his point, earning a yelp from the meerkat and warthog pal. The king then cleared his throat and continued to speak in a more professional tone "Now then, who might you be, and what brings you to Pride rock?"

"Oh! Well your highness, I am Pumbaa and this is my buddy Timon. We were kidnapped from our oasis by these two huge hairless monkeys... that look suspiciously like him." The swine spoke as he pointed a hoof at Naruto, who cocked an eyebrow for a brief moment before reaching down to acquire the birdcage and sticking his finger inside to poke at the trapped fairies a bit, earning some giggles from them indicating that they were likely ticklish.

"You said you came alone, correct?" Sarabi asked as she and a number of lionesses had gathered out of interest, and wanted to know more about these strangers.

"I did. Either they were already here before I was or... I dunno. Hey fellas, what did these two look like?" The blonde asked since he too was confused since it had been believed that he was the only human in the Pride lands.

"Well one was called 'Axel' and he had a spiky red mane on his head. The other was called Zero, but we never saw what that guy looked like. But that Zero... was scary. They told us to come to Pride Rock... and to bring those two along." the meerkat spoke as he pointed at the birdcage in the blonde's hands. With a low 'hmm' the whiskered teen unlocked the cage door and allowed the Fairies to fly free from their confinement.

"Hey there! Good to see you again. Sorry for startling you before." The blonde haired female spoke with a cute giggle. The blonde boy muttering an apology of his own since he had given chase to her but... what else was one supposed to do at the sight of a fairy?

The brown haired one bowed with a smile and then spoke "My name is Yuna, and this is my partner Rikku. We are the assistants of our master Aqua who runs the Kingdom Hearts Library. It is a pleasure to meet you." after their introduction, Naruto's mind began to fill with a million different questions. Why was Aqua guarding a vault full of different worlds? Why were the worlds in the form of storybooks? To name a few, but for now... he'd settle on a more pressing subject.

"Nice to meet you both. The names Naruto Uzumaki... I guess you'd know that since I visit your library on a fairly regular basis. But onto more important things... what in the hell are those black creatures out there and why are they suddenly following Scar's lead?" The blonde asked, putting forth the question that had been on everyone's minds.

"Those creatures... are called the Heartless. Entities born from the darkness in people's hearts. Save for but a few exceptions, most everyone has darkness inside which can create them. Their basic instinct is to seek out and take the hearts of all things, but the hearts they seek out and covet most are the core or 'heart' of a realm. Sometimes, a powerful enough entity can control the Heartless, especially if their hearts are filled with darkness, like Scar. However, he became a Heartless himself and is now likely seeking the consumption of this world as a means for revenge.

Me and my partner were looking around for information to aid our master. The strongest concentration of Heartless seems to be in a gorge where Scar is likely waiting. As soon as our master arrives, she'll be able to fix this by sealing away that black hole in the sky." Yuna explained and pointed up towards the sky, which now seemed to be pitch black and even the sun had now been blotted out.

"Something tells me that's going to be easier said than done. Especially if there's an army of those things out there. And a gorge? That's where I ended up foiling his scheme to create an 'accident' for Simba and Mufasa. Ironic." The blonde boy stated with a scowl as he crossed his arms.

"Agreed on both counts. How long woult it be until your master arrives?" The king asked, directing his question at the Fairies.

"Our third partner Paine went to retrieve our Master. It shouldn't be too much longer now. But I must suggest that we get to work in paving the way for her now. Defeating the Heartless form of Scar would make the lesser ones disorganized and confused for a brief amount of time, and then our master can seal the Breach much more easily." Yuna explained causing the King to take on a thinking pose as he considered his options.

"Naruto... what would you have me do?" Mufasa asked, turning his attention to the boy who now had a look of surprise on his face when the king had asked for his opinion.

"You're asking me? I'm not exactly the most experienced when it comes to fighting or strategy." The boy spoke sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head, earning a chuckle from the king.

"You haven't steered my wrong just yet. And a King can be often surprised by the thoughts and ideas of others. Go ahead, any ideas to be offered may be of help." Mufasa spoke with a smile, hoping that the mancub could once more rise to the occasion and be of aid.

"Well, we know where Scar is. We now know that someone will be coming to help us... but if we're going to fight through an army of Heartless, we're going to need some more backup..." The boy mused out loud as he gazed eastward into empty space... his thinking being interrupted by the sounds of Shenzi laughing hysterically, prompting him to turn and see that she was being tickled by the cubs with twigs in their mouths and no mercy was being shown as tears leaked from Shenzi's eyes as it was obvious she was in pain due to the lack of air in her lungs.

Staring at this amusing scene, the blonde turned back towards the east... and saw that the encroaching darkness hadn't yet claimed the Elephant Graveyard. An idea blinked inside his mind like a light bulb as he approached the giggling predator, her eyes almost begging him for help. "Hey Nala? Simba? Mind if I talk to Shenzi real quick?" He asked, prompting the cubs to groan in disappointment, but they backed off for the moment, allowing the Hyena a chance to suck in some much needed air.

"Hey Shenzi? I'm no expert on Hyena's, but I once learned something about how their packs can reach some pretty high numbers. Way I see it, since you helped expose Scar, even as a Heartless, he'll be more than happy to tear you to pieces. If you could gather up the Hyena pack in the graveyard, that'd be a big help for us. And as a thank you during these dire times... I'm sure the king could arrange for some kind of reward, like a hunting ground." The blonde boy spoke with a smirk forming on his face, giving her a small wink.

The Hyena was stunned by this statement, but quickly mulled over her options... and there was only one clear option available. She'd have to help out the Lions to save her own skin, if she didn't then Scar would likely kill her either way. At least by helping she could potentially save herself, and maybe get something out of it. "Sure! I can do it! Just take these bindings off my legs and I'll start running there right now." she spoke up, wiggling her paws a bit as she was very eager to be able to move freely again.

"Not so fast. We're counting on your help. If you do not come to our aid, and we still manage to survive this, we shall hunt you down and dump you into the Black pits with Scar." Mufasa spoke with a small snarl, to bring prove his point.

"What? You think I'm gonna skimp out or something? Scar's going to kill me regardless! And that kind of discrimination's why us Hyena's have a bad rep. Where do we fit into your precious 'Circle of Life'? Maybe we're tired of being some bottomfeeding scavengers! We gotta eat too, just like you. Why else would we side with Scar when he was offering us free reign over the Pride lands?" Shenzi shouted, finally having enough of being treated so poorly just because she was a Hyena.

The king was stunned into silence for a brief moment, his shoulders drooped down slightly as he thought about it. Since he had taken the throne from his father, he had tried his hardest to respect the old ways and to maintain the balance for the Circle of Life... although perhaps he had tried too hard. Perhaps it was the old ways that led to the animosity between Lions and Hyenas in the Pride Lands. The Hyenas were living creatures as well that lived within the Pride Lands... and so they too had a place in the Circle of Life as well.

"I... am sorry." Was the king's reply causing some startled gasps to be heard from the Lionesses, even Shenzi was surprised that the Lion King himself had apologized to her, a Hyena of all creatures. Her mouth now hanging open and seemed almost ready to fall to the ground.

"You are right, perhaps it was my way of leading that drove you to side with Scar. For years I tried to rule justly and fairly... but it seems that was all a sham since I continued to drive both Hyenas and Lions further apart. While we ruled from Pride Rock and basked in the beauty of the Pride lands, you and your pack stewed in anger within the graveyard, silently cursing us for denying you a proper place within the plains. Scar took advantage of your plight and hate, for which I did nothing to ease. On my honor, as the King, if you and your pack come to aid us in our most desperate hour, I shall find a home for your pack to live and hunt freely in the sunlight so that we may one day live in peace. I shall even uplift your banishment if you wish. The time for grudges and old hatreds... must be put to rest." Mufasa spoke as he bowed to the Hyena, causing at least one Lioness to faint in the background.

"I... I... thanks. That's... that is all we really wanted I guess. Was a real home. To be treated fairly. I promise, I'll bring the Hyena pack okay? And... who knows? Maybe I'll go with the idiot brat over there. I don't think I really belong here anymore after all this. Besides... the kid grows on ya." Shenzi replied with a small chuckle directed at the boy. With that said and done, the blonde undid her restraints to let her loose.

The Hyena wobbled to her feet, stumbling a bit since her paws were still a bit numb. But once circulation returned, she took off like a shot towards the Elephant Graveyard. "Bring your pack to the gorge! We'll meet up there!" Mufasa yelled after her, making her yell back a 'got it!'.

"We're leaving now huh?" Sarabi asked, noting the grim expression on her mate's face as he and the Pride stared out towards the darkened plains. The pride-sisters eyes widening as the darkness seemed to spread even faster now, what once took hours to expand had now started to visibly speed up to minutes. At this pace... it wouldn't be much longer till the lands were consumed.

"We don't have the time to sit and wait anymore. If Scar's dark heart is the cause of this, then he must have gone to the gorge to further fuel is hatred. We have to act now. Yuna and Rikku was it? As soon as your master arrives, direct this 'Aqua' to the groge without delay. We shall be making our stand there. With any luck, we'll have cut down a number of those Heartless to make your Master's job easier. Timon and Pumbaa? I leave the cubs in your care, you may stay at Pride rock till the fighting is over. Thanks to you, we have a better understanding of what we're up against." The king announced, causing the two friends to salute and promise they'd look after the cubs.

"All right then. I'll be sure to back you up. As part of my Nindo, my Ninja way, I will do my best to help those in need if it's in my power. And the way I figure it, this is my fight too." Naruto offered as he drew a pair of Kunai, giving them a small twirl in his hands.

"Don't forget us! We're coming too." Yelled out Simba with his friend Nala nodding in agreement as they barred their teeth to make themselves look more fierce. But it instead made for an adorable sight, making the various lionesses laugh heartily, most especially the cub's respective mothers.

"Your courage is admirable. But this won't be a simple pouncing lesson. This is war. And a war is no place for cubs." Mufasa gently chastised the two with a small smile.

"That's not fair! Naruto's supposed to be a cub like us, but he's going to fight! We wanna protect the Pride lands too! It's our home!" Simba yelled out, and was then gently patted on the head by his father.

"Passionate and loving. I think you'd make for a fine king someday. But regardless, you cannot come. Lionesses, and Naruto. We are going." The King announced as he and the Pride marched off with the human following close behind them, leaving behind a pair off scowling cubs, a relieved Meerkat and warthog, and a pair of fairies wishing them good luck while waving goodbye. As the Pride marched, the form of Zira sidled up to the blonde human with a small scowl on her face.

"Hey Zira. You are going to fight too huh? Don't you have a cub on the way?" He asked with a somewhat worried expression, making the lioness scoff.

"Save your concern for someone who cares. My cub won't be along for a while, and it won't matter if our home fades into oblivion anyway. Besides, a stupid dreamer like you needs looking after." She replied with a smirk, gently bumping against him with her shoulder.

"Why Zira... you're concerned for my safety? I'll mark that as an improvement towards your bleak outlook on life and other living things." The whiskered teen stated proudly.

"Don't be deluded, you little brat. You took responsibility of me and my cub, it is simply in my own selfish interests to look after my newest patron. Nothing more." She replied with a shake of her head, making the blonde wonder if this was Zira's way of showing affection. Regardless, it was nice to have some backup. But then something was troubling him... it had been at least two days since his arrival in the Pride Lands... had anyone noticed that he had been missing back home? If so... then that'd be a mess that would need cleaning up later. But for the time being, he'd worry more about helping in the upcoming fight.

 **Elsewhere.**

"And there they go. Things are picking up now." Axel spoke with a dry chuckle with his arms crossed over his chest. Looking on as the Pride marched on towards the gorge where a legion of Heartless were waiting, along with their current leader figure Scar.

His boss, Zero, seemed busy munching on a stick of sea-salt ice cream, the light blue snack slowly vanishing in the shadow of Zero's hood. "Indeed. We originally came to investigate a spike in Heartless activity... and things quickly escalated when Scar's heart was claimed by the Darkness. I can't help but wonder how that boy fits into things... to defy and change the course of fate? To change the script of the story? That's a rare gift." Zero muttered in thought.

"You think the kid's a keyblade wielder? And he's from that realm filled with Ninjas right? Why's that world so special? Word is, Heartless don't exist there." Axel asked out of curiosity, hoping that his boss may provide some insight. He remembered when Zero first came into Organization XIII and quickly took leadership from Xenmas, but that would be a tale for another time. Regardless... Zero was an abnormally powerful and unusually insightful Nobody.

"If he isn't then he certainly has the potential. The Elemental Nations is a complex realm, filled with many mysterious powers and phenomena. Perhaps the Heartless do exist in the Elemental Nations, but they cannot manifest themselves there. Maybe an aforementioned phenomena keeps them at bay, or there's another explanation entirely. Whatever the circumstance, we have intervened enough on the behalf of the boy and his friends. Let's just watch and see how the rest plays out." Zero explained and then pointed towards Pride rock, where a certain Blue haired keyblade Master had arrived in the form of a panther.

"I can't wait to see how things go down. Should I memorize it boss?" Axel asked with a chuckle, earning a shrug from his boss. The crimson haired Nobody giving a small smirk as he turned his attention back to the marching Pride, and couldn't help but wonder how that blonde kid's presence would further change the course of the Pride land's fate. Was he really a potential keyblade wielder? There didn't seem to be anything special about him... but then... one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

 **End chapter three.**

 **A/N: Hope you liked the chapter my readers. I am trying to lay out some groundwork and start building onto a much bigger story, while also trying to throw in some character development. I also wanted to add in some more depth to Zira's character, so I just wrote in a background for her. Hope you all enjoyed it, reviews and feedback is welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another update, and another chapter. Reviews and feedback are very much appreciated.**

 **A very special thanks to Fighting Joe.**

 **Last time:**

"You think the kid's a keyblade wielder? And he's from that realm filled with Ninjas right? Why's that world so special? Word is, Heartless don't exist there." Axel asked out of curiosity, hoping that his boss may provide some insight. He remembered when Zero first came into Organization XIII and quickly took leadership from Xenmas, but that would be a tale for another time. Regardless... Zero was an abnormally powerful and unusually insightful Nobody.

"If he isn't then he certainly has the potential. The Elemental Nations is a complex realm, filled with many mysterious powers and phenomena. Perhaps the Heartless do exist in the Elemental Nations, but they cannot manifest themselves there. Maybe an aforementioned phenomena keeps them at bay, or there's another explanation entirely. Whatever the circumstance, we have intervened enough on the behalf of the boy and his friends. Let's just watch and see how the rest plays out." Zero explained and then pointed towards Pride rock, where a certain Blue haired keyblade Master had arrived in the form of a panther.

"I can't wait to see how things go down. Should I memorize it boss?" Axel asked with a chuckle, earning a shrug from his boss. The crimson haired Nobody giving a small smirk as he turned his attention back to the marching Pride, and couldn't help but wonder how that blonde kid's presence would further change the course of the Pride land's fate. Was he really a potential keyblade wielder? There didn't seem to be anything special about him... but then... one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

 **Chapter four: Battle for the Pride Lands!**

"This really bites." grumbled the form of Simba as he and Nala watched the forms of their family, friends and Pride, continue to shrink into the distance. The two cubs desperately wishing that they too could join the fight to protect their home as well. Both Timon and Pumbaa sat in the background, the two having a somewhat sympathetic expression on their faces.

"Well, the King said that war's not a place for cubs. He just doesn't want you getting hurt or anything." Pumbaa spoke up, trying to ease the frustrated cub a bit, but the young Prince was now restlessly tapping his claws against the ground with a huff.

"I know that... but... others are always saving me. My dad saved me back in the Elephant graveyard, and Naruto saved me from a stampede, so... I just want to be of help to them. I can't just sit here while everyone's gone off to fight." The prince spoke with a scowl, his best friend Nala feeling much the same.

"Ah, I wouldn't worry too much kid. Your dad's the King right? He looks pretty tough. Same with all those lionesses, even that weird hairless monkey looked like he'd be good in a scrap. They'll be fine." Timon spoke with a tone of confidence to try and lighten the mood, his warthog pal quickly nodding in agreement, albeit with a somewhat forced smile.

"Maybe but... look at it out there. There's no telling how many of those Heartless things are waiting. Hundreds? Thousands? More? They'll have the Hyena's for backup, but that might not be enough." Simba spoke thoughtfully with a somewhat depressed sigh. He then turned to both Yuna and Rikku who were sitting on a rock, faitfully awaiting their master's arrival.

"Don't worry about it. That's why I'm here." Spoke an unfamilar voice to the Pride-landers, but it caused both Yuna and Rikku to joyously shout a cheer that sounded like 'MASTER!'. They turned and saw a female panther with black fur and a mop of shimmering blue hair atop her head, and at her side was her third assistant Paine who had her arms crossed beneath her chest.

"Master. Thank goodness you're here! It's been a real mess! Me and Rikku..." Yuna began to explain, giving her report of the current situation, starting with being captured by the two Nobodies and explaining that the king and his Lionesses had gone off to fight in the gorge where Scar attempted to murder both Mufasa and Simba. The Keyblade master listened intently, and then couldn't help but sigh. It seemed as if the world order had been completely disrupted in more ways than one.

"I see. That boy... Naruto... I remember him from the library. He would regularly visit. Seemed like a nice boy. Still... to distort the natural order of a realm to this degree... it might be irreversible." Aqua muttered to herself, she quickly shook her head since that'd be an issue for later. Right now, the realm seemed to be on the verge of being consumed by the Darkness, so she would need to go to this gorge to seal up the breach. If Naruto managed to rescue Simba and potentially averted Mufasa's preordained death during the stampede... then explained a few things, including the sudden rise of Heartless activity.

"All of you stay here. I'll go there immediately." Aqua stated as she sprinted off across the plains, leaving the Gullwings and Pride-landers behind to await whatever may come next. However, being told to stay only made Simba all the more frustrated at his inability to help... until the sounds of flapping wings was heard overhead, looking up... he and Nala couldn't help but smile at the sight of a familiar figure.

 **Meanwhile. At the Gorge.**

"Is it weird that I'm having second thoughts about this?" Asked Naruto as he and the Pride of Lions entered the Gorge, the atmosphere around them feeling dense and heavy, as if it were meant to suffocate the life out of them. And there was also a... sense of dread and oppression, like all the happiness in the world had been drained away.

The boy's question earned a dry chuckle from the King as he replied "Not in the slightest. I am as well, just like the rest of the Lionesses. But we have no choice but to defeat Scar and these 'Heartless' once and for all." His statement earning nods of agreement from the Lionesses, their faces taut and unreadable as they mentally prepared themselves for the fight ahead.

"And I take it that you have a plan of attack?" The whiskered teen asked as he pulled out his Kunai, his fingers wrapped tightly around the handles until his knuckles turned white. This would be the first time he'd ever actually be in a real war. He wasn't even out of the Academy yet, so he hoped that his minimal combat training could see him through against the Heartless.

"Scar seems to fancy himself a schemer. Thinks he's smarter than everyone else, he thinks he's always a step ahead. So we'll do the last thing he would expect us to do... we'll charge straight up the middle and put an end to him." The King replied with a small laugh making his human friend nod in understanding.

"Works for me. With any luck, we may catch Scar by surprise and..." The blonde spoke and paused for a brief moment, his eyes flashing a golden color as he sensed something... something that started to ring warning bells inside his head. With one quick motion, he drew a pair of Shuriken from his pouch and threw them upward, causing two black forms to land against the ground with a thud, revealing it to be a pair of Heartless that soon vanished in wisps of smoke.

"Think we can still catch him off guard?" The whiskered teen asked in a whisper, hoping that he'd silenced the Heartless fast enough and that there wasn't some kind of mental link between them and their quarry.

"Come out of hiding. I know you're there." Called out the voice of the traitor himself, making the Lionesses groan that they had lost the element of surprise. Naruto stamped his foot and growled out "Son of a bitch!"

"Umm... that's my mother you're talking about." Mufasa spoke in an even tone as he calmly marched out into the open with the Pride following close behind him, with both his mate Sarabi and the Human Naruto walking along both sides of him.

"Sorry about that... are you sure you're related to Scar?" The blonde asked with a curious expression, since both the king and his former brother had very little in common. While Mufasa was strong, honorable and fair, Scar was devious, underhan... er... pawed, and obviously amoral. It was like night and day between the two of them.

"I have been asking myself that same question recently." The King responded with a rueful smirk, as the Pride marched on, they saw in full view what they were up against. Stretched out along the gorge were legions of imp-like creatures with shining yellow eyes, the Heartless no doubt. Many of them clinging to and climing along the cliff walls, and many more stood atop the cliff's edges. Scar himself was in plain view, sitting near the tree that Simba had clung onto before during the stampede. It was as if the black maned Lion was arrogantly putting himself on display to taunt Mufasa and the others.

"You have but one chance Scar. Surrender now. And I promise to make your end swifter and more final." Mufasa spoke with a ferocious snarl, barring his fangs at his former brother.

"I highly doubt he'll surrender with an entire army of those Heartless things between him and us." Naruto pointed out, earning an amused snort from Zira who was standing directly behind him.

"He won't. But now no one can say I didn't attempt to end this peacefully, however unlikely it'd be." The King replied with a small shake of his head. For some reason, the boy's commentary seemed to amuse the Lionesses, which helped to put them at ease.

"Indeed. Though it's a shame you all have to die here, although, even if it means ruling an empty kingdom, I shall still be king regardless." the Heartless Lion spoke, grinning beneath the wildebeast skull that covered his head. The Heartless began chittering as they began to crawl towards the Pride. The Lionesses crouching down, preparing to spring into action on their King's order.

"Give the word, and we'll charge." Sarabi whispered to her mate as she too started to crouch down, eagerly flexing her claws. Naruto however shook his head and interjected by speaking "No. Too many of them, they'll likely disrupt our momentum before we can get close to Scar... but I might have an idea to draw him out, maybe buy some time for the Hyenas and this Aqua to get here."

"If you have something, share it quickly." Mufasa whispered back, puffing his chest out to prepare himself to give the order to charge to his Pride.

"Scar! You fucking cocksucker!" Naruto yelled out causing the Lionesses to look towards the boy, finding it surprising that he knew such language. The King looking at the boy questioningly as if he had gone crazy. The blonde himself knew that this was somewhat desperate... but he remembered how his good friend Anko told him that an effective Shinobi trick, was to infuriate or get under the skin of your enemy, it would make them sloppy or have them make rookie mistakes if they couldn't think straight. Right now, he was basically winging it.

Anko was a master of T&I, while he was still a struggling Academy student, so he wasn't sure if he could successfully trick Scar due to his inexperience but now wasn't the time to self-doubt. It was do or die time. Fortunately, his name calling had earned a flash of anger on the Heartless Lion's face, which melted into a 'charming' smile that was obviously laced with venom as he spoke in 'suave' tone "Such language. Didn't your mother teach you manners, boy? What do you take me for? Some fellow cub who throws a tantrum over trivial things?"

"Nope. I'm an Orphan. And I take you as a Chickenshit coward that can't do anything for himself. You're always having others do the dirty work for you. First the Hyenas, and now these Heartless things. You'll never be able to compare to Mufasa as a king." The blonde stated with a smirk, knowing that the Heartless Lion was a coward to the core.

"You... you dare speak that way to me?! I am double... no... TRIPLE the King Mufasa is, or ever was!" Scar roared angrily, slamming a paw to the ground. Showing that the blonde had struck him in his soft spot.

"Prove it then. At least Mufasa's willing to fight on the front lines with us. You? You're hiding in the background. Some 'King' you are if you don't have the balls to face me yourself." Naruto spoke, pointing an accusatory finger at the Heartless Lion, behind him the entire Pride of Lions giving him some questioning looks.

"FINE! I will prove it then! Come at me!" Scar roared as he pounced off his perch and made his way towards the front of the horde of Heartless, the impish looking creatures clearing a path for him as he stalked forward. His eyes hatefully glaring at the human boy.

"Time to be a dumbass hero... again." Naruto whispered to himself as he sighed, twirling his Kunai in his hands a bit as he too stepped forward, but a paw from Mufasa was placed against his stomach to stop him for a brief moment.

"What are you doing? He will kill you." The King warned him, knowing that his former brother wouldn't be showing any mercy given that it was Naruto that exposed the traitor's plans.

"What do you think? We can't take on this many on our own. I'll be stalling Scar for time till our backup can get here." The whiskered teen quietly explained to the King, glancing between him and an angrily pacing Scar.

"Noble of you, but I should be the one to fighting him. It is me that he truly wants to kill." Mufasa retorted with a snarl directed at his former brother, the crimson maned lion's claws on full display now.

"True, but why do you think Scar resorted to trickery and deceit to kill you? He knows he could never beat you in a straight-up fight. But with me, he'll underestimate me. If nothing else, I could distract him long enough. But if you see an opening to gut him, I suggest you take it. Might not be the most honorable approach, but I don't think we are in a situation that permits a thing called 'honor'. Besides... I doubt old Scar will play fair anyway." The boy stated, earning a grim nod from the King as several Lionesses bowed their heads in respect to the boy's courage.

"Very well then. But whatever it is that you do... don't die." The king warned his young friend, who swallowed a lump in his throat and walked forward, trying his best to keep himself from trembling since this would be his first real taste of life-or-death combat. Then again... was there anything that could truly prepare someone for such a thing?

"Ready to die boy? You have been a thorn in my side from the moment you set foot on Pride Rock." Scar spoke with a low growl and flashed his fangs, trying to intimidate the blonde boy. Though the whiskered teen didn't seem scared of the black maned lion at all. Instead, the boy had a look of pity on his face, almost as if he looked at Scar as though he were some kind of pathetic little creature.

"No, I don't plan on dying anytime soon. There's others counting on me to survive. Besides, I doubt a chickenshit bully like you knows all that much about fighting." Naruto stated as he got into a fighting stance, holding a Kunai in each hand. The Scarred Lion merely grinned sadistically and slammed a paw on the ground creating a series of spiderweb like cracks.

"That was before, but now that my heart is one with this darkness, I have grown far stronger than before. Once I am finished with you, I shall take immense joy in ripping apart Mufasa himself." the Heartless lion stated with an evil smile.

"Fuck me and my big mouth. Why does the universe hate me so much?" The Blonde muttered in slight anguish. Steeling his resolve, he stared down, his opponent as the two circled around slowly. It was as if they were now sizing each other up, waiting for the first move or the first mistake to be made. The boy didn't have to wait for very long as Scar leapt high into the air to pounce on him. The blonde rolled across the ground and quickly sliced into Scar's legs before he landed, making the Lion yowl in pain as he limped for a few moments.

Some black inky tendrils formed and began to knit his wounds closed, making the Lion chuckle darkly as he spoke "It seems that enhanced strength isn't the only thing that the darkness has given to me." With a growl, he charged at the boy and swiped at him with a massive paw, but the blonde d ducked beneath the the Lion's paw in the nick of time and slashed at the Lion's face, making a deep gash across his muzzle but that too was quickly stitched together by tiny dark tendrils. Some of the Lionesses began to cheer for the boy as they saw that he was holding his own for the time being, buying them some time till the calvary arrived.

Naruto however, was mentally cursing himself for diving headfirst into danger without so much as a plan yet again. He hadn't counted on Scar having enhanced strength or some kind of healing ability. And now he faced the likelihood of being mauled or torn apart, but he wasn't going to back down just yet, because being a ninja meant facing danger and often overcoming what could be considered possible odds. And he was determined to beat them all. But first he'd need to survive against a crazed Lion.

With a roar, Scar swiped at the boy's leg with his paw, snagging his claws on the Human's pants leg. Seeing his chance, the Lion yanked Naruto to the ground and pounced on top of him, almost crushing the boy beneath his weight as he wildly bit at Naruto's face with his sharp teeth. The boy frantically struggled, trying to avoid his face getting ripped off, he managed to free up one of his arms from beneath the Heartless lion and began stabbing at his neck. Trying to either force the Lion to choke to death on his own blood or retreat to safety. At last, his weapon landed on its mark and pierced deep into the flesh of Scar's throat.

The lion let out a choked gasp as blood leaked from his mouth, Scar pulled away from the trapped human and limped away. Clutching at his throat as he waited for his newest wound to heal. Glaring at the human with pure hate, he wheezed out "Kill... them..." and then he began to pad off into the horde of Heartless as they made a path for him, which then closed behind him as he passed through.

"Hey! Where are you running off to, ya bastard?! We aren't done yet!" Naruto yelled as he cracked his neck a bit, his hand now soaked in Scar's blood... and then he noticed that the Heartless had begun their approach making the boy curse loudly "OH SHIT!"

Several Heartless pounced off the canyon walls to attack the whiskered teen, but were all quickly smacked away by Mufasa. "Lionesses! Charge!" the King roared, prompting the Pride to sprint into the hordes of Heartless, their powerful bodies acting as battering rams that sent numerous Heartless flying into the air. Roars filled the gorge as the Lions swiped at the black creatures, occasionally one would jump in the air and a Lioness would catch it with her mouth before flinging it away. Naruto joined in the fight as well, brandishing his Kunai, cutting away at the Heartless one by one, fighting alongside the King as the Pride inched their way through the army of Heartless.

As they fought their way through, Naruto saw the form of Scar continuing to slink away farther and farther into the back of the Heartless Army, and despite the ferociousness of the Lionesses, they were starting grow tired and were slowing down, losing their momentum. "We can't keep this up for much longer." Naruto spoke to himself and noticed that a Heartless had gotten on Sarabi's back, the boy leapt over Mufasa's form and then kicked off the Heartless from the Queen's back, earning a quick thanks from her.

"Suggestions?" The king asked as he slapped another one of the black creatures away.

"Too open here. Fall back to the gorge entrance, it'll funnel them to us, make it easier to pick them off." The blonde suggested as he pointed behind them to the entryway, the King nodded and called out to the Lionesses to fall back. The two sprinted towards the Gorge entrance with the rest of the Pride following after them until they all came to a stop at the gorge opening.

"Form up and pair up, watch each other's backs. They could charge at any time." Naruto called out, taking on a leadership role in the heat of combat, the Lionesses bunching together as they waited for the Heartless to come to them. Amongst the sea of black creatures, Scar appeared with a sinister expression.

"Not yet... wait for it... let them bask in terror." Scar ordered, chuckling darkly to himself as the wound on his neck began to close up, though it still caused him pain.

"Okay... now would be a good time for one of those epic and heroic entrances like in a movie." Naruto muttered to himself, as he and the Lions all tried to catch their breath as they awaited for round two. The form of Zira sidled up to him with a scowl on her face.

"Boy... if we all die here, I have to say... I loathe you." She spoke and then bumped his leg with her elbow.

"Eh? You love me?!" The blonde shouted, having misheard the Lioness making her slam a paw down on his foot which caused a sharp yelp of pain to escape his mouth.

"That's not what I said you idiot!" She yelled in a clearly agravated tone, shaking her head with a roll of her eyes. Believing that she was going to die with this idiot human. However, the sounds of familiar cackling and laughter could now be heard in the air, making the Lions look around for the source.

"Hey Scar!" Shouted the voice of Shenzi from the cliffside, prompting the addressed Lion to turn towards her direction with a snarl. His eyes glaring at her as though he wanted to light her on fire with just his vision. "You! Don't think that I haven't forgotten about you! I will enjoy making you suffer for exposing me earlier!" Scar shouted as he directed a number of Heartless in her direction, causing them to climb up the cliff wall.

"I figured as much. Which is why I decided to bring some friends. GERONIMO!" The Hyena yelled out as she leaped high into the air, grinning almost maniacally as she dove into the Army of Heartless and then she was followed by dozens of Hyena's who mimicked her battle cry as they dived into the horde as well. Scar's expression changed into one of shock as he tried to process what was happening before his eyes, and the Lions could see that their chance had come.

"Now's our chance! Charge!" Mufasa roared as he sprinted towards his former brother, the Lionesses following him with renewed vigor as they barreled through the Hordes of Darkness. Knocking them all to the side, with fierce determination to finally end Scar. Naruto was hot on their heels to join the fray, but he soon felt a burning feeling in his lungs and his heart pounded inside of his chest like a drum. He shook his head trying to shrug off the building pain in his body... but something was very wrong.

"Look out!" Shouted someone, when the boy looked up a number of Heartless had landed on top of him, dog-piling him and cutting off his movement with dozens more joining, putting an end to any chance of escape as the added weight kept him from moving. Then... the blonde's vision all turned to black.

 **Location: ?**

When Naruto snapped his eyes open again, he found himself standing on another platform of colored glass, the picture beneath him depicting a mermaid with crimson hair. "Not this again." he muttered to himself, remembering the last time he was in a place like this. The air feeling more oppressive around him, almost as if the atmosphere was trying to crush him.

Shaking his head, the blonde tried to find a means to return to the real world, but there was nothing but darkness in this seemingly never-ending void. "Hey there, bouya. Seems you're kind of stuck." spoke a female voice, prompting him to turn around and was met by the sight of a beautiful woman... perhaps the most beautiful female specimen he had ever seen in his life.

Dark caramel colored skin with whisker markings like himself on her cheeks, long crimson hair that reached her back, crimson eyes with a black slit pupil, soft and full lips with a pair of fangs jutting out from her upper lip, a large bust to rival a certain Sannin with a thick hourglass figure, and a regal looking robe that was purposefully worn to expose her legs and a large amount of her cleavage. And between her fingers was a golden pipe that she was smoking from. And then... there were nine fluffy fox tails behind her.

"What's the matter dear? Am I so wonderous to behold that you are speechless? If you wish to grovel and worship me, I will not stop you." She spoke in a sensual tone as she blew some smoke into the boy's face.

"Are... you... the Kyuubi?" The whiskered teen asked, gulping slightly at the prospect of facing the most powerful of the Bijuu. If the stories were true... then it... errr, she, could squish him like a bug if she changed into her bestial form.

"Correct. I suppose the tails are a bit of a giveaway. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Kurama Kitsune. A pleasure to finally meet my host." she replied and then gave a regal curtsy, from her speech and mannerisms it was almost as if she were royalty than a ferocious beast.

For years, Naruto had known that he was somehow connected to the Kyuubi, it couldn't have been coincidence that his birtday was the day of the Kyuubi's attack. And this absolutely confirmed it. "So... your host huh? I guess I'm a walking prison for you, or something, right?" He asked with a nervous chuckle, hoping that she wouldn't hold a grudge against him.

"Indeed. Simply put, but accurate nonetheless. I have to say, my living conditions have been absolutely deplorable! Your mindscape is naught but a sewer, and then I find myself in this void. Honestly, my previous host had some manners and at least gave me a decent mindscape to dwell in." Kurama spoke as she took a drag from her pipe and exhaled some smoke through her nostrils.

"Previous host? Someone else contained you before me?" He asked her with a grimace, his curiosity now piqued.

"Naturally. My first host was Mito Uzumaki, wife of the Shodaime Hokage. I think I took on some of her personality and became that which you see now. But my second host, Kushina Uzumaki? She was a brute, a bully, and a barbarian. Complete inhumane savage, but she did have a heart of gold deep down." The Kitsune responded in an off-handed manner... though a devious gleam formed in her eyes.

The blonde tilted his head as he connected the dots, finding it curious that the previous hosts all shared his surname. Couldn't possibly be a coincidence. "Those two... are they my relatives or something?" He asked, hoping to finally learn something about his origins. Kurama gave an almost sinister smile as she walked towards the boy, her bare feet slapping against the glass floor.

"Obviously, dear. Mito was your grandmother. Kushina, your Mother. Three generations of Jinchuuriki, and a relative of not just one, but Three Hokage's stand before me." The Kitsune spoke, blowing a plum of smoke into the boy's face as she let out a haughty laugh.

Naruto's face fell into one of shock, his eyebrow twitching as he tried to absorb this newfound information. "You... you can't be serious. There's no way some orphan like me could... could be related to the Hokages. There's just no way!" He muttered almost brokenly, trying to deny this overwhelming revelation.

"Are you certain? Your mother was married to the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, and the Uzumaki's have been allies of the Senju clan for decades. That is, prior to the clan's fall." Kurama spoke, as she revealed a little more information to the lad. The boy's form starting to shake.

"Clan?" Was all he could ask, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. The Uzumaki was a powerful clan with their own island nation, some say that Uzu was well on its way to becoming the Sixth Major Shinobi village. That is, until a coalition of Villages attacked Uzu and destroyed it. Konoha was supposed to send aid to save their longtime ally, but no aid came. The village you love so much, left your clan to die. Your homelands raped and looted, and the few survivors to scatter into the winds." She explained, causing her host to burst into tears and fall to his knees, his hands clasped over his own ears so he wouldn't need to hear her voice anymore.

"Shaddup! You're lying! You're just messing with me!" He shouted, trying to deny her words. There was just no way any of that could be true, she was trying to play on his fantasies and insecurities. Trying to manipulate him to her own advantage, but she grabbed one of his arms by the wrist and pulled it away from his ear so she may speak into it.

"I am a lot of things, my dear, a trickster for certain. But I am no liar. It is you, who denies the truth. You always knew the truth. You heard the whisperings of the Villagers, your birthday matching up to when I attacked Konoha, and such other things. All I am doing is telling you, that which you haven't yet found out for yourself. If you do not believe me, I am sure that your beloved Jiji can confirm what I am saying." She spoke to him in a sweet voice, her words almost seemingly coated in honey, belying the sinister intent in her eyes.

"If I'm supposedly so special... then why have I been treated like shit my whole life?" He asked, growling through his teeth as he tried to pull away from her, but her grip was like a vice around his wrist.

"Because you're a resource. An asset. Largely because of me. Only an Uzumaki can contain my vast powers. To many, you're just a weapon of war to be called on whenever it is convenient, to be forced to sacrifice yourself for the greed and preservation of those the world could do without." She explained in a blunt manner, not even bothering to sugarcoat the truth.

"That's all the Shinobi world really is. It's how it is, no matter what realm you go. There will always be those in power, who will abuse their power, or cause harm unto others to further their own agendas, or use others to do the dirty work for them. It's all the same. My siblings and myself have been used as tools by Shinobi for a long, long time. And still they continue to exploit us and our hosts." She explained with an almost tired sigh, her face taking on a more somber expression making it difficult to tell if she was truly saddened or was putting on an act.

Regardless, the blonde felt a bit sorry for her, and... some of the things she said did make sense. He wasn't going to believe her outright that he was the son of the Yondaime or anything... but he was going to take her words with a grain of salt for the time being. "Maybe. Scar is definitely one of those types you mentioned. Maybe that really is how things are throughout the realms... then I'll just have to change it." He spoke as clenched his fists tightly.

"Change it?" She asked him with a slightly confused expression, wondering what he was going on about now.

"There's always going to be people around who abuse their power. I won't deny that... and there's definitely people like that in the Elemental Nations, maybe even in other realms. If that's the case... then I'll fight them all! I'll fight them so that people don't need to live in pain or suffering anymore. You and your siblings also suffered, I don't know what I can do about that... but I guess we could start by being partners?" He asked at the end with an almost hopeful smile... and then the Kitsune burst into a fit of laughter.

"My goodness! You're just like your mother! Such a dreamer! And you believe that you can solve such a conundrum with brute force? My, oh my, you just gave me a sense of nostalgia. Well, regardless of the case, if you're anything like Kushina-dono, I wouldn't mind lending you some of my power. But I do so for selfish reasons, there are certain individuals that I desperately wish vengeance upon." The Kitsune replied with a devious grin as her tails floofed out, angrily swishing about as some Killing Intent leaked out.

"Certain individuals huh? Are they bad people?" The blonde asked as he crossed his arms.

"They are." Kurama replied bluntly, not bothering to hide her hatred for those she is holding a grudge against.

"Works for me then. Someday though... I hope we could be friends. I'm sure I don't want you for an enemy." The blonde stated with a nervous chuckle, making the Kitsune pat his head gently.

"You're sweet. And very wise. I know I fed you a pretty big pill to swallow, and you're still doubting me. But you'll come to know the truth sooner or later. Now then, aren't you in the middle of a war or something right now?" The dark skinned Kitsune asked with a light hearted chuckle, making the boy slap his cheeks as his mouth made an 'o' shape.

"Oh shit! I almost forgot! I need to get the hell out of here!" He shouted as he looked to and fro for a way out.

"Perhaps that object there may be of assistance?" Kurama pointed out, causing her host to turn in the indicated direction. The object in question seemingly looking like a cross between a key and a sword of some kind, with a long golden handle, and the guard had cloud or wave-like portions shifting from yellow to blue and seperate blue pieces on the pommel. The base featuring a gold fox with teal eyes set atop an intricate gold and pink etching. **(A/N: Think Ava's Keyblade. Look on Wiki.)**

"Seems kinda... girly." the blonde muttered with a small grimace, but shrugged his shoulders and reached out. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the handle, the strange weapon glowed with golden light, and in a split second, Naruto flew away like a shooting star, not even having time to scream out in surprise as the Kitsune was left on her own for the time being... that is until a second figure appeared behind her.

"He's got your spirit. Though, would it not have been better for his actual mother to reveal some of his past?" Kurama asked as she turned to face the form of her second host Kushina. The Uzumaki's arms crossed beneath her bust.

"Maybe, but I doubt he would have believed me anymore than he believed you. Besides, it's not yet the time for me to meet him. That comes later. But what really concerns me... are the trials he's going to face in the future. Some in Konoha, and some abroad. Kurama-kun? Can you please aid my Sochi-kun for me?" The Uzumaki asked with a serene smile on her face.

"Of course. If that boy is anything like you, which I believe that he is, then he'll provide me with much amusement. Still, to think he'd actually travel to other realms. Even I was surprised by this. Seems like his little universe got much bigger." The Kitsune mused more to herself then smirked, very eager to see how the boy would develop under these conditions.

 **Elsewhere. In the Pride Lands.**

Aqua huffed as she ran across the plains, her panther form inching its way closer towards the Gorge where the Heartless had gathered. "Almost there! Just a bit more!" She spoke out in relief as she neared her objective. The sounds of fighting being heard now as she got ever closer. The Keyblade Master then sensed danger approaching, causing her to skid to a halt as she summoned her Keyblade, holding the weapon in her mouth as she sensed... something. Something powerful was coming.

A rift of darkness appeared, and two figures clad in black emerged. "Organization XIII." Aqua muttered, recognizing their robes as her eyes narrowed. The Crimson haired nobody merely chuckled and replied "That's us. I'm Axel. This is the boss, Zero. Sorry for the inconvenience Keyblade Master... but we need to stall you for a while."

Aqua raised an eyebrow as she crouched down, ready to pounce at a moment's notice in case they attacked then asked them "Stall me? Why? And why are you here in this realm? How can you be here? The realms have all been sealed!"

The form of Zero laughed in dry amusement and responded "Sealed, the realms may be. But still connected. If one knows how, it is still possible to slip in and out of existence. We originally came here to investigate an unexpected swelling of Heartless activity... but something much more interesting happened. The boy you seek? He created a distortion."

"Distortion?" Aqua asked in slight confusion, though from the Nobody's words... it sounded ominous.

"The boy changed the script of the story. Mufasa should have perished down in that gorge, but he did not. Scar's sins were exposed prematurely. The boy changed the course of fate, which in turn, caused a distortion in the realm. Inviting in the Heartless, and causing Scar to join their ranks when he fell into Darkness. Now, the Darkness seeks to swallow up this realm. Just as the dark always does. Always seeking to envelop, swallow, and consume. Now... that boy has me very curious to see if he can undo the damage he has done. And you, would only make things too easy for him." Zero explained in a matter of fact tone.

Aqua could only shake her head and shout "If you won't let me pass peacefully, then I'll have to force my way through!" she then charged at the two Nobodies, making Axel step to the side with his arms crossed.

"I wouldn't be doing that. The boss is pretty strong." The crimson Haired Nobody warned with a smirk, but Aqua ignored his Warning and leapt into the air, slashing at Zero with her Keyblade... only for the blade to pass through Zero's form as it vanished within the blink of an eye. Before Aqua could register that she had attacked an afterimage, a barrage of invisible blows assaulted her body, making her spit up saliva and blood.

When she fell to the ground, Zero now stood over her... with a black Keyblade in hand, making the bluenette's eyes widen in shock. "A... Keyblade? How can a Nobody have a Keyblade? WHO ARE YOU?!" Aqua demanded, trying to maintain focus as her vision faded in and out as she tried to maintain consciousness.

"I am Zero. And I am the end of all things." Zero replied as a smile became visibile beneath the black hood. Then, the ground rumbled as a pillar of golden light emerged from the Gorge, and Aqua couldn't believe her eyes at what she was now witnessing.

"It can't be..." She whispered, muttering to herself in astonishment.

"It is. The birth of a new Keyblade wielder." Zero responded and pointed up towards the pillar of light with keyblade in hand and continued to speak "Show me boy. Are you the one?" As the pillar of light grew more intense, a pair of crimson eyes could be seen beneath Zero's hood. The blood red orbs burning with longing. Aqua noticed this and couldn't help but wonder... what was it that Zero wanted? And why did this Nobody have a Keyblade? "Terra? Ventus?" she asked more to herself... wondering if this had something to do with her old and lost friends.

 **End Chapter four.**

 **Next time: Awakening! Naruto's true power revealed!**

 **A/N: Somewhat shorter than I wanted, but I needed to post this before Thanksgiving and Black Friday or I'd never get this chapter done! On the next chapter, the Lion King Arc will finally come to its conclusion!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: At long last, the long awaited chapter for Keys to the Kingdom. I apologize for the delay in updates.**

 **A special thanks to Fighting Joe for his support.**

 **Last time:**

"A... Keyblade? How can a Nobody have a Keyblade? WHO ARE YOU?!" Aqua demanded, trying to maintain focus as her vision faded in and out as she tried to maintain consciousness.

"I am Zero. And I am the end of all things." Zero replied as a smile became visible beneath the black hood. Then, the ground rumbled as a pillar of golden light emerged from the Gorge, and Aqua couldn't believe her eyes at what she was now witnessing.

"It can't be..." She whispered, muttering to herself in astonishment.

"It is. The birth of a new Keyblade wielder." Zero responded and pointed up towards the pillar of light with keyblade in hand and continued to speak "Show me boy. Are you the one?" As the pillar of light grew more intense, a pair of crimson eyes could be seen beneath Zero's hood. The blood red orbs burning with longing. Aqua noticed this and couldn't help but wonder... what was it that Zero wanted? And why did this Nobody have a Keyblade? "Terra? Ventus?" she asked more to herself... wondering if this had something to do with her old and lost friends.

 **Chapter five: Awakening! Naruto's true power revealed.**

All was quiet within the gorge, the Lions and Hyenas all staring in awe at the pillar of light. The Heartless all skittering back a bit since the intensity of it caused some of their numbers to disintegrate into nothingness. In the background, Scar shielded his eyes with a paw, he too being shocked at this sight.

The light slowly dimmed out of existence as the form of Naruto emerged unscathed, holding a new weapon in hand. His clothes having changed from his usual orange jumpsuit to a crimson armor bearing similarities of the armor a Samurai would wear, along with a black trench coat.

The blonde's demeanor had also changed, he seemed more confident and sure of himself now as he surveyed his surroundings, eyeing the horde of Heartless standing between him and Scar.

"Naruto? Are you all right? What happened to you?" Mufasa asked as the king bounded over to the boy, placing a paw on his side to make sure the human cub was all right. The whiskered teen cracked his neck a bit and answered back "I'm fine. Not entirely sure what happened, but it feels like I just woke up from a deep sleep. Hell… I feel better than ever!"

With a flick of his wrist, he threw his keyblade causing it to fly from his hand, the weapon spinning wildly through the air as lightning crackled from the blade, cutting through and zapping any Heartless in its path before returning back to his hand. The display earning looks of amazement from his allies. Scar broke from his stupor and blurted out "Attack! Kill! Destroy!" his orders spurred the Heartless into action as they resumed their attack.

Both Hyenas and Lionesses quickly regained their bearings and fought back against their attackers, jaws snapping and claws slashing at any of the black creatures within reach. Sometimes a Lioness would swing a mighty paw and send a group of Heartless flying through the air. Naruto stared at the form of Scar who was sitting in the back, as one would expect of a coward. "We won't get anywhere picking off the small fry. We need to cut off the head of the serpent. Mufasa, keep the Heartless off of me. I'll do the rest." The blonde spoke urgently as he charged headlong into the horde, his blade swinging wildly as he carved a path through. With each swing hitting its mark, the Heartless vanished as hearts floated off into the sky.

"Everyone! Protect Naruto and back him up!" The King ordered as he trailed behind the boy, swiping at any Heartless within reach to keep them from surrounding the Human with Shenzi bounding up next to the Jinchuuriki.

"Hehehahaha! Nice makeover! Be honest, did you really think I'd skip out on this party?" The Hyena asked with a cheeky grin, then grunted as she slammed her shoulder into one of the imp like creatures that got in her way with Naruto chuckling a little in response as he cleaved through a trio of Heartless that attempted to pounce on him.

"Nah, I had faith you'd come. Though I'm surprised you got the rest of your pack to act so quickly." He responded before swatting away another heartless with a backhanded blow with his free fist.

"I maaaaay have fibbed a bit and told them that Scar was planning to kill them all so it would be in our best interest to team up with Mufasa and his Pride." Shenzi admitted with a cackle, her jaws then clamped around the head of a heartless, she shook it around violently like a rag doll before tossing it aside.

"I don't think that qualifies as 'fibbing'." Mufasa noted with a dead-pan expression since he was certain that Scar would have destroyed them anyway so long as they were a threat to his power. As they progressed closer and closer to Scar, the horde of Heartless became thicker and thicker, slowing down their charge until they were only inching their way through, no matter how many of the black creatures they defeated, more constantly took their place.

Naruto continued to wildly swing the keyblade until it became but a blur that danced through the air, cutting down dozens of Heartless that got caught within reach of his blows. But even with the Lions and Hyena's support, they were unable to gain anymore ground. The whiskered teen squinted his eyes a little and saw the black maned Lion smirking arrogantly behind the skull mask he now wore. It was as if the false king were silently mocking him. "Smile while you can ya bastard!" The blonde yelled out defiantly as he kicked away three more of the Heartless.

The Lionesses snarled angrily as they fended off the constant assault of the Heartless, but it was clear that they were getting worn down from just keeping the black imp like creatures at bay. The Hyena's were in no better condition since they had to charge all the way from the Elephant graveyard to get here in time, thus they hadn't gotten a chance to catch their second wind before joining the battle. "I take back what I said earlier. THIS is the time for an epic and heroic entrance." Naruto spoke out and then slammed his elbow into an imp that attempted to jump onto Zira, the lioness giving a grunt of thanks before slamming her paw against another of those black imps.

"Oi! Zira! If we don't make it out of this, I just want you to know, I accept your feelings for me!" He shouted to the Lioness, still mistakenly believing she had confessed her love for him earlier in the battle.

The Lioness stared at him and snarled angrily before spitting back "Stop speaking nonsense, stupid human!" The blonde blushed a bit in embarrassment, he supposed that this wasn't an appropriate time for that kind of talk so instead he continued to cut through the swarms of Heartless, trying to get at the cowardly and devious lion hiding in the back of the horde, staying as far from the fighting as possible

"Cowardly bastard! Come out here and fight! You call yourself a king when you don't have the balls to fight your own battles?!" Naruto roared out, hoping to goad the Lion into fighting him again. Though it seemed that the black maned lion learned his lesson from last time since he gave a knowing smile, not falling for that trick again.

The Jinchuuriki kept on hurling insults and other colorful language at Scar but it all proved to be useless since he just stayed in place, waiting as the Heartless slowly began to wear down his adversaries. A toothy grin slowly spreading across his face in malicious glee… until the ground began to rumble beneath them. The sounds of trumpets blaring and fanfare could be heard, causing all eyes to look in Scar's direction… most specifically behind him as a dust cloud could be seen fast approaching.

The Black maned lion turned around, his grin fading into a look of shock as herds of Elephants and Rhinos came down the opposite end of the gorge. Charging ahead with reckless abandon and fire in their eyes. "CHAAAAAAARGE!" Roared the form of Simba, riding on the head of a large Bull Elephant with Nala at his side, the two directing the rapid advance of the herd.

The Elephants bellowed as they reared they trunks back, preparing to strike, and between them were rhinos, lowering their heads so that their sharp horns pointed towards the many Heartless. "Out of the way!" Scar ordered as he tried to put as much distance between him and the angry herds, running through the horde as quickly as his legs could carry him… only to come face to face with Naruto and Mufasa. He knew then that he was cornered.

"Nowhere to run or hide now! It's the end!" Naruto shouted, an ethereal golden glow enveloping his form, with some crackling noises coming from his Keyblade. **(Beacon of Hope! Awakened Naruto.)**

Scar could only grit his teeth as his fight or flight instincts took over, inky black tendrils escaping his body along with a dark purple aura "No! I will not allow this to be my end! This is my kingdom! My rule! My army of darkness! I will not be defeated here, by you!" The Heartless lion roared angrily. **(Sin of Envy. Heartless Scar.)**

The tendrils shot forward, the tips aimed to pierce the blonde's chest region which he easily batted away with his blade with three quick strikes and then leapt forward to get in close to the Lion, ducking underneath a paw that was aiming for his throat, Naruto pivoted on one foot to regain his balance and sent a swift kick into Scar's temple, cracking the wildebeest skull protecting his head. The blow disoriented the Lion, giving Mufasa the chance to pounce on the traitor and bite into the flesh of his neck.

Scar yelled out in pain, the tendrils grabbed Mufasa and threw him off. The Lion King spat out the traitor's blood and spoke in a blank tone "Your blood and flesh taste rotten. I shouldn't be surprised." The two lions squared off, with Naruto standing next to the king, his keyblade pointed at Scar. The Heartless lion looked to the side, noticing that the Heartless were being driven away by the combined efforts of the Lions, Hyenas and Simba's reinforcements. He was alone.

"No assassination attempts. No army. Just us, and you." Naruto muttered coldly, there would be no escaping from death this time for the Lion. For all the harm he had done and attempted to do, they had to make sure that he would never be able to do it again. Scar growled in frustration, he slammed his paw on the ground making it crack beneath him… but to a much lesser extent than last time.

"What? My strength? Leaving me?!" Scar muttered, wondering why the power was leaving his body now of all times. Naruto took this moment of confusion to swing his blade at the black maned lion. Scar raised his front leg up to shield himself from the blow, only for the blade to slice clean through, severing off his leg. Scar's eyes widened in horror and pain, he expected his wounds to mend and heal, but they did not. Not this time.

Mufasa struck the Heartless lion across the jaw, sending the wildebeest skull flying off his head, sending him into the ground. "W-why? My power… gone?" Scar muttered in an almost broken manner, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"I'll tell you why." Spoke an unfamiliar voice, making them all look up and see two unfamiliar figures now standing over Scar, a man with red spiky red hair carrying a blue haired panther on his shoulder, and an unknown hooded figure. The latter continued to speak "This venue is far too noisy, so let me clear it up first." The hooded figure spoke and then snapped their fingers, causing all of the Heartless to blink out of existence, leaving behind only their hearts that floated away into the sky.

"While your heart was deeply and irredeemably mired in the Darkness, it was a weak one. Beset by envy, pride, and insecurity. A weak heart such as yours could never hope to master the power of the Heartless. You provided some entertainment, but your part is done. Your existence is meaningless now. **Hakkai.** " The hooded figure spoke and with a gesture, caused Scar to fade into dust as if he had never even existence.

Naruto blinked his eyes a few times, narrowing them to try and see what was under Zero's hood, but he could only see blazing red eyes in the shadow of the hood, and a wide grin that reminded him of a certain vampire that wielded a musket and sang opera he once saw in a manga.

"It's Axel and Zero, right? We were told about you by Timon and Pumbaa." Naruto spoke up, his hand involuntarily gripping the keyblade so tightly his knuckles turned white. In response, Axel clicked his tongue and then deposited the panther on his shoulder onto the ground.

"Got it in one kid, we came by to return this to you. The Keyblade master that was supposed to get you out of this pickle." The red haired man explained with a chuckle, twirling a chakram on one finger as the Hyenas and Lions all stood at the ready to attack. Even Simba and Nala watched carefully in case they needed to order another charge from their reinforcements.

"I'm afraid that I was a little rough with her. On behalf of Organization XIII, you have my apologies." Zero spoke and did a small bow with one hand on their chest, and then looked up at the sky where the Black hole was waiting to swallow the Pride Lands. "You needed her to close that, yes? Well… it seems she's unavailable. You need to close it off then boy. It's your fault, so it's your responsibilty" Zero spoke and then pointed at Naruto, the crimson eyes twinkling a bit beneath the hood.

"Me? What do you mean it's my fault?" Naruto questioned the blonde questioned, wondering why he was the one at fault.

"It's an unwritten rule not to meddle with the natural order of the realms. You broke the world order of the Pride Lands, creating a phenomenon known as a 'Distortion', a tear in the world's 'fabric' caused when the Natural order is disrupted. The king, Mufasa, was meant to tragically perish right here in this very gorge. And you prevented that, altering the flow of the Fate. I suppose you could say, if you mess with Fate. Fate messes with you. Thus, this war, the Heartless almost swallowing the realm, it's all your fault. All because of your mistake." Zero explained in an almost mocking manner.

The blonde Jinchuuriki was silent for a few moments, slowly blinking his eyes as he quietly contemplated Zero's words. Then with a small smirk he answered "Rescuing Simba wasn't a mistake. Neither was keeping Mufasa alive. Doesn't matter if this is my fault or not. What happened, happened. And I will always help my friends regardless of the consequences. That's my nindo, my ninja way!"

"Your… Nindo..?" Zero muttered quietly, crossing their arms over their chest as they quietly mused to themself. Then, Zero slowly clapped their hands together, a small shark like smile appearing from the shadows of the hood. "Your heart is a strong one. I can tell. You have yet to even begin tapping into your true power, boy. State your name boy."

"I am Naruto Uzumaki." The whiskered teen boldly and proudly answered. The Keyblade vanishing from his hand since the fight was over, and he sensed no ill intentions from the two… at this time.

"Naruto… Uzumaki…I see. You remind me of someone I once knew very well. As a gift for amusing me, I shall do you a favor." Zero spoke and summoned a black Keyblade, pointing it towards the sky. In a few moments, the black hole vanished from existence, and the sky returned to its natural blue with the sun shining high in the heavens.

"I have dispelled the distortion. No strings attached. But the next time you cause a distortion, you shall need to fix it yourself. I learned long ago that you can only rely on others to a certain extent before you must rely on yourself. Keep that advice as a small bonus from me." Zero spoke before snapping their fingers, summoning a rift of darkness next to Axel which he stepped into without a word.

"Just who the hell are you really? Why do you have one of those swords too?" Naruto demanded, pointing an accusatory finger at the hooded figure.

"All in due time. We shall meet again soon." Zero muttered before vanishing into the rift, leaving the blonde to stew in his confusion. With a tired sigh, the blonde fell to the ground with a soft thump, the battle having worn him out, the numerous Lionesses and Hyena's following suit.

Mufasa also panted in exhaustion, turning his attention to the cubs still perched atop the head of an Elephant, likely the Alpha of its herd. "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you have been at Pride Rock? And… where did the Elephants and Rhinos come from?" The king asked his cub.

"Well… Zazu found our missing Pride-sisters, and all the herds gathered at some oasis as they tried to hide from the Darkness. Zazu brought them all back to Pride Rock, then me and Nala got these guys to volunteer to help, so we came here as quickly as we could since you would need backup." Simba explained with a sheepish smile, hoping he wouldn't get in trouble for this.

A warm smile crossed the King's face as he replied to his son "For once, I am glad you chose to disobey me. Come. We must gather our injured and see that the Circle of Life is brought back into balance. Also… I think I promised a reward to the Hyena's for their aid." Mufasa noted as he turned to the confused Hyenas, all of them wondering what he meant by 'reward'.

"Cool. Let's all go home then." Naruto said and picked up the injured form of Aqua, balancing her on his shoulders as the Elephants began to gently scoop up anyone that was injured to allow them a ride on their backs. The blonde noticed that Zira was staring at the small pile of ashes where Scar used to be. He approached her and gently placed a hand atop her head.

"He's gone now. He's really gone." She muttered, unsure whether to feel relief or sadness.

"Don't mourn him. Mourning is meant for those whom you love or loved you. No matter your feelings for him, he could never fill that void in your heart. I promise you though, I'll do everything I can to help make you happy and learn to trust others again." The blonde promised her and then began scratching behind her ears.

"Feh. Whatever human. Still, we didn't die today. So I'll maintain some cautious optimism." She replied with a smirk, relaxing herself into his touch.

"Sooooooo, you gonna start kissing now?" Shenzi spoke up, ruining the moment for them and then they both clocked her on the head for butting in like that. After a few minutes, all preparations were made and the injured were ready for travel, fortunately it seemed that they had no casualties in this war. And so, they headed back home to Pride Rock, ready to face a new dawn for the Pride Lands.

 **Two days later.**

After the war, the Pride lands swiftly returned to normalcy. And as promised, Mufasa provided the Hyena pack with their own hunting grounds as both a reward for their aid and as a gesture of peace to end their longtime hostility. The Hyena's graciously accepted and began to scout the lush new hunting grounds where they would soon eat plentifully.

Timon and Pumbaa returned to their oasis, but promised to come by and visit since they had taken a quick liking to the cubs, most especially Pumbaa. Aqua soon regained consciousness although she was in quite a lot of pain since her ribs had been broken when she was beaten badly by Zero, the Gullwings all tending to her injuries.

"Master… this has been bugging me for a while… but why hasn't Naruto taken an animal form in this realm?" Paine asked, pointing towards the direction of the blonde in question who was being assaulted from all sides by every Lioness who wanted to be petted or belly rubbed. The sounds of Mufasa's booming laughter being heard.

"I have been wondering the same thing myself. It might have to do with him being from the Elemental Nations, or some other unknown reason. Regardless, his circumstances are a bit unusual. To think… he summoned a Keyblade all on his own without any prior training. Must be something special about him. Bring him over here, I want to speak with him." Aqua requested, prompting the Gullwings to nod and bow as they retrieved the boy, rescuing him from the mass of bodies and fur demanding his attention.

"Be back later ladies!" He reassured the Lionesses before turning his attention to the recovering Aqua. "I guess it's time we had a long talk about this whole thing." He spoke in a matter of fact tone before sitting on the ground in a cross legged position.

"I suppose so. I shall sum up everything from the beginning then. A few years ago, the realms were all in a separated but connected existence, all of them unaware of each other, save some important and/or powerful figures with basic knowledge. Then, the barrier keeping the worlds apart began to fade. If nothing had been done, the worlds would have all collided together and caused untold loss of life.

So the realms were all sealed into storybooks excluding your Elemental Nations, and I have served as the guardian of the realms in the guise of a librarian. As a Keyblade wielder, it is my duty to protect the multiverse from the Heartless and maintain order in the realms." She spoke, giving him the rundown of why he found all those books in the vault and their intended purpose.

"I see. That clears some things up. So what about those other two? What's this 'Organization XIII' they were talking about?" Naruto asked with a confused expression, remembering the name being briefly mentioned earlier.

"They are Nobodies, entities without a Heart. Sometimes when a Heartless is created from a person with a strong enough will, the body and soul are left behind. The body gives a Nobody its form, and the Soul gives it life. The strongest of wills create a human formed Nobody such as what you saw. They represent Organization XIII, a group of Nobodies with an unknown purpose and/or goals. Their activities faded when the worlds were all sealed, but it seems they're back. Sadly, I don't know much about them or their members. But they are not to be taken lightly." She explained as she tapped her claws against the ground in thought.

"I see. So what happens now? And wait… how long have I been gone from Konoha?" The whiskered teen asked with wide eyes, now realizing he must have been gone for too long now, he would most likely face being expelled from the Academy, thus he wouldn't be able to become a ninja.

As if sensing his concerns, Aqua spoke in a comforting voice "Don't worry. I'll be sure to help you out of trouble when we go back. As for what comes next, I had originally intended to wipe your memory clean, but… circumstances have changed. Now that you can use a Keyblade, I'll become your teacher and train you properly in how to use it."

"Thanks, I guess I'll have to start calling you Sensei then. I'm actually looking forward to this… because if I train and learn under you, I'll have the chance to see new places and make lots of friends across this 'multiverse' right?" He asked in an excited manner, earning a nod of confirmation from the bluenette. Finding his heart to be a pure one, free of any corruption or evil intent. Her old friend Terra was not a bad person, but his heart was filled with too much darkness and he was lost to it.

She didn't think that this boy would suffer the same fate. "Indeed. Go on, go say your goodbyes. We must be going now." Aqua spoke, making a shooing motion prompting the boy to nod with a slightly somber expression as he headed off to say goodbye to all of his friends. As he walked away, Aqua grimaced a bit as she thought about Zero being capable of using a Keyblade. The only plausible explanation is that they were once a Keyblade wielder before their heart was taken by the Darkness. But who were they really?

As she continued to think to herself in the background, Naruto approached the Lions and made his announcement "Well everyone… it's almost time for me to go back home. We faced a lot of bad stuff together, but I'm glad to have met you all." At his words, both Nala and Simba attempted to climb his legs clinging tightly to him with their legs, as if they were trying to keep him in place.

"Don't go Naruto! You still have to tell me more about Humans and Ninjas and stuff!" Nala whined cutely.

"Yeah! You can stay with us!" Simba added as he nuzzled the human's leg, both being sad expressions on their faces. Sarabi chuckled as she helped pry them both off the boy's legs and spoke "Now now. That wouldn't be fair to our friend. He has his own home to go back to. I am sure that there are some there who would dearly miss him."

"Yeah. There are. But I promise to come back and visit you all. I'd be a bad friend if I didn't do that much." Naruto reassured the cubs making them sniffle but reluctantly nod in understanding. The blonde then proceeded to give one last petting to each of the Lionesses, some even offering him a hug, including Sarafina and Sarabi.

Finally Mufasa came up and spoke "Naruto, you have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect my family and my Pride. From today on, words of your deeds shall forever be spoken and sung. When a cub is named 'Naruto' it shall mean 'Hero'. You will always be welcome here, as a friend and a hero. Should you ever need our help, for any reason, at any time, we will be happy to aid you, as you did for us. Thank you, so very much my young friend. As a final thanks… I name you an honorary Lion of Pride Rock!" The King announced and earned a series of approving roars from the Lionesses.

Naruto teared up a bit and wrapped his arms around the king's neck, hugging him to which the king returned eagerly. When the two separated, the blonde whistled and called for both Shenzi and Zira to hurry up since it was time to leave "Okay already! And don't whistle at me! I am not some pet you can call whenever you feel like it." Zira spoke in a cranky tone, although she wouldn't admit it out loud… she was actually a bit excited to see the boy's home.

"He's cat calling you toots." Shenzi muttered, laughing a bit at her own pun which earned a glare from the Lioness. The two following the boy over to Aqua who noticed their presence.

"Wait… you plan on bringing them with us?" The Bluenette asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing a paw at both the Hyena and Lioness in question.

"Kinda have to. Shenzi was formerly a subordinate of Scar's and Zira can't stay 'cause of the cub growing in her, so they're both banished. They're my responsibility now, and I promised I'd take care of them. Sooooooo, yeah. They're coming." Naruto spoke in a firm voice, crossing his arms over his chest since he wasn't going to back down on the subject.

"... I can't say no, can I? Very well. We shall go now." Aqua replied with a small smile, and then summoned her keyblade, holding it with her tail as they began to fade out of existence, returning to Konoha. As they slowly faded, Naruto waved goodbye to his new friends one last time. And with that… his adventures in the Pride Lands finally came to a close… for now at least.

 **Kingdom Hearts Library vault.**

"Well… this is… new." Spoke Aqua as she observed the forms of both Shenzi and Zira. Upon their entry to the Elemental Nations, it would seem the two had taken on new bodies. Both of them now awkwardly stood on two legs, and grew breasts on their chest region, the two taking on an anthropomorphic form.

"What is happening to me? What are these round things on my chest? Why are my paws shaped differently? Why are the round things on Zira's chest way bigger than mine? And why is my butt so big?! I look fat now! My butt is all… big… and jiggly… and squishy." Shenzi muttered as she started to smack her new bubble butt, watching it bounce a bit.

Zira was busy inspecting her new breasts which seemed to be swollen with milk, her tail swishing from side to side a bit. "Ummm…. What just happened?" Asked the Gullwing Rikku as she tilted her head in confusion.

"It would seem that this realm has granted them new, and more humanoid forms. The Elemental Nations continue to baffle and confuse me. But it should be possible to make something so that they can change back and forth between their new and original bodies." Aqua explained briefly, while in the background, Naruto could hardly contain his laughter at this new development. It was almost like something from a manga with some ecchi-ness.

"All I heard was 'original' and 'bodies'. Whatever you need to do to change us back, do so quickly. Standing on two legs is… uncomfortable. And this round things are giving me strange feelings too." Zira muttered as she sank to the floor.

"We'll take care of that later. But for now, it would seem we have a more pressing engagement. Naruto? I think I might have an excuse for your long absence from school." Aqua spoke in a confident manner, making him nod in appreciation. Hopefully it was a good one. Well… he'd just follow her lead and go along with it then.

 **Minutes later. Hokage office.**

"Soooooo, let me get this straight… you were locked inside the Library the past several days while Aqua-san was away on personal business. Is that right?" The Sandaime spoke as he tried to clear things up about Naruto's unexplained disappearance. In the background, Iruka was standing to the side with his arms crossed since he was rather eager to see the boy expelled.

"Yeaaaah. I fell asleep while trying to study, and I guess Aqua never noticed me when she closed up." The whiskered teen replied, earning a nod of confirmation from the bluenette who had a kind smile on her face.

Iruka however wasn't buying that story whatsoever as he pointed something out "So what did you do for food then? Did you eat the pages from the books?"

"I have a private living space on the upper floors of the Library. It is not just my workplace, but my home. Complete with a fully stocked kitchen. Naruto has agreed to volunteer at my library for a while to make up for the food he took." Aqua explained, earning a nod of understanding from the Sandaime since that made sense to him.

"But what about a telephone? Couldn't Naruto have simply called for help?" Iruka demanded as if he were conducting an interrogation, though he did bring up a valid point both times.

"I had all phones disconnected almost a week ago. Certain shady characters kept on sexually harassing me or asking me on dates instead of calling for library related business." The bluenette answered in a blunt manner, glaring at the Scarred Chunin since he was definitely amongst them.

"With your permission Hokage-sama, I'll be personally tutoring and teaching Naruto from here on. I don't feel that his current class is the right fit for him since I couldn't help but notice that he visits my library frequently." She requested in a polite manner, to which the Hokage hmmed in thought.

"Now that you mention it… I have been considering finding an alternative for Naruto's education since he seems to be struggling in the Academy. I think a more private and one-on-one style would help him more efficiently." The Hokage spoke, giving a small thumbs up to the boy who looked almost ready to explode in glee at the prospect of being free of the Academy class.

"What? So easily? She's not a real teacher. How can she succeed where I failed?" The Scarred Chunin questioned, finding it ridiculous that the boy was now getting some kind of special treatment.

"For one thing, she has an entire library for Naruto to freely explore and learn from. For another, she seems willing to put in the effort. I find it odd how a single student can stay in the same class for almost three years in a row, and still make no improvement in his grades. Who is responsible for this conundrum? Is it a bad student? Or a bad teacher?" The Sandaime spoke with a hint of venom in his voice which seemed directed at the Chunin.

The Hokage turned back to both Naruto and Aqua and spoke "For the time being, I place young Naruto in your care. I think a change in environment and teachers may be beneficial to him. You may go now." prompting the two to exit the office after having covered up his sudden disappearance.

Once they were out of earshot the blonde smirked and asked his new master "So what are you going to teach me first? You going to show me how to fight? I always wanted to learn how to fight with a sword." His eagerness and excitement was refreshing for the bluenette, but it wasn't the time to teach him about that just yet.

"No. You handled yourself well enough from what I heard about the previous battle. Being a Keyblade user isn't just about fighting, it is about protection. Before I teach you to use your strength, you must learn to use your head and your heart first." She spoke with a gentle smile, in response he simply nodded in understanding, knowing that violence wasn't always the solution… but it did help solve a lot of problems.

 **Meanwhile. Keyblade graveyard.**

"I don't get it boss. Why do you always come here?" Asked the form of Axel with a small smirk as Zero sat on the cliffside, twirling their thumbs together as they stared down at the countless Keyblades implanted into the ground.

"Xemnas told of this place… I like to come here to think. As for the why… it reminds me of home." Zero replied in a cryptic manner, a small chuckle coming from their throat.

"Home, huh? You were always a big mystery wrapped in a puzzle box. No one knows what realm you came from, or how or why you have a Keyblade. The only real thing we know about you… is how powerful you are. I'm curious, why save the Pride lands like that?" Axel asked at the end, wondering what the game was that his boss was playing.

"The Darkness swallowing the Pride Lands wouldn't have been advantageous to my plans. That aside, that Naruto boy provided an amusing spectacle, I just decided to reward him a little for entertaining me." Zero answered in a casual tone, some amusement laced in their voice.

"I see. So then… who did the kid remind you of?" Axel asked out of simple curiosity, though he was also hoping to dig up a little more on his leader's identity or past.

"The one person I despise most throughout the Multiverse. Kushina Uzumaki." Zero answered coldly, their voice laced with pure hatred that was rather out of character for a Nobody. If he didn't know any better, he was certain that Zero possibly had the ability to feel emotion.

Zero sighed as they spoke "The Multiverse is currently trapped in a stagnant existence. I think we should shake things up a bit. And I think I know a good place to start." At this, the crimson haired Nobody raised an eyebrow out of curiosity and asked 'Where?'

"Does the phrase 'two sides to every story' provide you a hint?" Zero chortled in amusement before vanishing into a black rift. Leaving Axel behind with his thoughts as he couldn't help but look back and remember when Zero first appeared.

 **Flashback: Ten Years ago.**

The numerous members of Organization XIII sat silently as Xemnas welcomed a new member to their ranks. A mysterious Nobody with burning crimson eyes with black sclera, their face obscured by a mask of bandages as they wore tattered and bloody rags that seemed ready to fall apart at any moment. "...Do you have any questions?" The leader finished after his speech.

"Yes… what is the goal of our group?" Zero asked as they stared up at Xemnas, a curious expression forming on his face.

"Isn't it obvious? We just gotta create our own Kingdom Hearts to restore ourselves. That's why we need your Keyblade to release the hearts trapped by the Heartless." The sole female member Larxene spoke with a somewhat annoyed expression. Her answer prompted Zero to burst into laughter, though it was obviously fake, it still unsettled the Nobodies to a degree.

"That's it? That's why this motley crew is gathered here? To get rid of the greatest blessing one could hope for?" Zero questioned in a 'are you stupid?' kind of tone.

"What're you on about?" Axel asked her as he laced his fingers together, wondering what this stranger was talking about. What blessing?

"Existing without a heart is the best thing to ever happen to us. And you want to throw it all away. Without a heart, we do not need to feel unnecessary emotions, such as sorrow, or guilt, we do not need to feel anything really. Meaning we can focus on a mission, without care or consequence. We can achieve our goal without feeling doubt or a moral crisis." Zero explained in a matter of fact tone.

"And what goal is that?" Xemnas asked, not at all liking this newcomer. It seemed they had a problem with authority, his authority.

"... To bring about the end." Was all Zero said as a row of sharpened shark like teeth appeared from the mouth area. "I am Zero, and I am the end of all things. And I am now your leader." They finished and then an invisible force yanked Xemnas off of his throne, the masked Nobody raised up their fingers and flicked him away as if he were a fly, sending him flying back to his throne and crashing through it.

Xemnas had been blown away and overpowered from that move, and all of the other Nobodies could feel raw power radiating from the newcomer. If they dared tried and stand against Zero, they would be obliterated from existence. "Any objections?" The masked nobody asked with a somewhat bloodthirsty grin, none of the other Nobodies had the gall to reply so Zero nodded and took their silence as quiet submission.

"With that out of the way… let's begin making plans to achieve the first step in our goal… the destruction of the barrier separating the realms." Zero spoke with a cold smile, knowing full well what would come next.

 **End Flashback.**

And they did it. They had shattered the barrier keeping the realm's apart, largely due to Zero's godlike power. If one had to describe their leader… they were an entity of pure Destruction. The cataclysm was averted when the realms were all sealed away into storybooks, but that didn't seem to bother Zero. Instead, they simply muttered 'Things are fine as they are'. Suggesting that the end of the realms wasn't their goal.

So what was? What 'end' was Zero talking about? So many questions so few answers. Still, it wasn't all bad. Zero was actually a good boss and allowed him and some of the other members do as they liked so long as they didn't go overboard. In either case, that new kid provided an interesting show. And it seemed like Zero took a small interest in him. Only time would tell if he'd be able to make something of himself.

 **End chapter five. (Lion King arc. Finished!)**

 **Next time: Start of training! A brand new world and adventure!**

 **A/N: I wanted to make this chapter a bit longer, but I felt this was a good stopping point. I revealed a little more about our new Villain Zero and finally brought this arc to a close. I also ended the chapter because I didn't want to reveal any spoilers for the next step in Naruto's journey and am excited to continue this fic. Reviews, suggestions and feedback are all welcome. Thank you for your patience. I hope this long awaited chapter was worth the wait. And I sincerely hope to finish out this fic one day.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I deeply apologize for the delay in updates. More of my coworkers left, so I had to help pick up the slack at work, so I was often left too tired to do any real writing and I also had some other personal shit going on… and then I got into a Fire Emblem Three Houses binge on my Switch, then I bought the 'All in one Pack' for the Kingdom Hearts series and binged on KH3 to catch up. I hope to do a Naruto x FE3H xover soon. But all excuses aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter. And please leave lots of reviews and feedback! It always helps. And thank you for the kinds words and patience.**

 **Special thanks to Fighting Joe.**

 **Chapter six: A brand new world and adventure! First mission, start!**

In the Inuzuka veterinary clinic, Hana was busy making sure that the inventory was accurate to ensure that any animals brought in would have the needed medication. As she scribbled on her notepad, she was interrupted by the sounds of a gentle knocking. She turned around and was met by the form of Naruto peering inside with a charming smile.

"Hey pup. Clinic hasn't opened yet. And if you're looking for laxatives to feed Iruka and Mizuki, I don't have any extra to spare this week. Sorry." She spoke in a casual tone since he would occasionally stop by to request Laxatives for his pranks. It was often funny when the unfortunate victim had to lock themselves into a restroom for the whole day.

"Not here for that. Ya see, here's the thing. I have a cat. Like a BIG cat. She's pregnant right now so I brought her here to make sure she and the baby are fine since they had gotten into a pretty nasty fight. I gotta warn you, she's kinda cranky… and you might want to dope her up before you start examining her. Especially if you need to stick things up her butt." The blonde explained in a somewhat awkward manner, making Hana raise an eyebrow, but she shrugged her shoulders.

"Finally adopted a pet, have you? Cool. So what kinda cat is it? A tabby? And how big is it exactly?" She asked and took on a Professional tone as she eagerly waited for him to bring in the feline in question.

He chuckled nervously and ushered in a large figure that walked inside in two legs, or rather… stumbled in. "Finally. I was getting sick of waiting. This place has a lot of funny smells." The figure spoke and the Inuzuka woman's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when she saw the feline.

"Umm… Naruto? That's a Lion." Hana pointed out as she blinked a few times, observing this particular specimen. She had never seen a lion like this before… was it some kind of strange summon?

"This new human is staring at me. Am I ugly or something?" The Lioness grumbled a bit, feeling a little insulted.

"Nah. Nothing like that Zira. You're gorgeous. It's just that Lions aren't native to Konoha. Not many people see one in person around here." He explained, attempting to soothe the Lioness, which seemed to work since she sighed and relaxed a bit.

"Fine. Let's get this over with. Walking on two legs with these large round things bouncing around is very irritating." Zira muttered bitterly as she rubbed her large DD-cup breasts making a little milk squirt from her nipples.

For the sake of her own sanity, Hana decided not to ask too many questions and just chose to roll with it. She was certain that Naruto hadn't stolen or kidnapped this Lioness so she didn't see any problem with it then. After instructing Zira to get on the table, Hana began her examinations… very carefully to avoid pissing her off… more than she already probably was. It was likely that her current state would make her a little moody.

"How long does this stuff usually take? Rikku was going to show me how to use a… what was the word? Television?" Zira asked impatiently as she tapped her claws on the table, her irritation apparent as she kept getting poked and prodded by the Vet.

"Shouldn't be too much longer. Good news is, you're a pretty healthy Lioness. Couldn't help but notice some bruises and all that, though it's nothing serious. Now I just want to check and see how your cub's doing." Hana spoke in a reassuring tone and began to use an unfamiliar instrument and pressed it against Zira's belly.

"You're taking this rather well so far." Naruto noted with a chuckle. Glad that the Lioness wasn't being overly fussy.

"Only because you said this female was a friend of yours and that I was to behave. If it were a male poking at me and invading my personal space, my patience would be much more… limited." The Lioness growled out a bit in annoyance, though since Naruto was currently her benefactor she'd play nice… for the moment.

"I can hear your cub's heartbeat. Seems to be strong and steady. Would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl?" Hana asked with a small smile, she hadn't ever examined a Lioness before, so this was a first, and definitely an interesting first. Leave it to Naruto to bring about the unexpected.

"You can do that?" Zira asked while quirking up an eyebrow, tapping her claws in thought at the prospect with Hana nodding in confirmation. After a few moments, Zira shook her head replying "No. I want it to be a surprise. I've got a good feeling it'll be a girl." The Lioness spoke at the end with a warm tone that seemed to be out of character for her.

With the examination completed, Naruto spoke up "Thanks for this Hana. I'd appreciate if you kept this quiet though." He requested with a slightly cheesy grin.

"Only because you're so adorable. Patient confidentiality and all that good stuff too. I'll send you a bill later." She replied and spoke in a joking tone, though Naruto wasn't certain if she was being serious or not, making him swallow nervously.

With their business concluded, Naruto assisted the Lioness back to her feet and escorted her outside, allowing her to keep a hand on his shoulder to help steady herself since walking on two legs was obviously a struggle for her at the moment.

"How do you humans walk on two legs?! It is completely awkward and feels wrong! And how do human females walk around with these?" She questioned bitterly as she groped her own breasts again, having noticed that human females all possessed them, with varying sizes.

"Dunno Zira. I can't imagine how to walk on four legs. And I'm not a woman, so I wouldn't know how it is to walk around with breasts." He replied with a large sweat-drop since Zira's breasts were brushing against his face a bit. It was taking everything he had to maintain his focus. Damn teenage hormones.

As they exited the clinic, and continued on their way back to the Kingdom Hearts Library, some random pedestrians stared at Zira's form. A man openly ogled her, only to be slapped in the face and scolded by his wife. While another guy was licking his lips in a disgusting manner.

"All of you. Look the other way. And don't stop walking." Zira growled out and flashed her claws, making them glint in the sunlight, prompting the Civilians to hurry away in a small panic.

"Honestly… are most males in this 'Konoha' only capable of staring at a female body like a Hyena would at a piece of meat? No offense to Shenzi since she is mildly tolerable." The Lioness grumbled in disgust since whenever a Human Male passed by she would keep on getting these… looks.

"I did offer you some clothes to wear earlier." Naruto gently chastised the Lioness with a deadpan expression.

"They were all stuffy and uncomfortable! I don't see how you humans wear those… clothes, as you call them. Especially that orange… thing you wore when we first met." She spit back, sending a small insult towards his sense of fashion.

"The jumpsuit? It was on sale, so it was cheap. No excuses." He replied back with a small shrug, since he had to be careful with money since he lived off a stipend. At last they arrived at their destination. Naruto unlocked the front doors, using a key his new Master had provided him and ushered the Lioness inside. The Gullwings were busy flitting about, arranging and shelving the books before it was time for the Library to open to the public.

Shenzi bounded up to the pair with surprising speed since she had rather quickly adjusted to her new form, in spite of the extra 'assets' in the rear area which wobbled and bounced with every step. "Hey Guys! You won't believe what Rikku showed me! The Television! It was awesome! There was a hero in there fighting bad guys!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Aqua approached while shaking her head in amusement since Shenzi had quickly taken a liking to the TV, the film in question featuring a certain bat themed hero. "Settle down Shenzi. They just got back. So Naruto, how was Zira's checkup?" The Bluenette asked with a gentle smile.

"My pal Hana said everything looks okay. So Sensei, when can we start our training?! I can't wait to learn how to fight and stuff." The whiskered teen spoke with a gleeful expression, summoning his keyblade into his hand and began giving it a few practice swings.

"You ever hear of Decaf kid?" Asked the form of Paine with an almost unnoticeable smirk, finding the kid's boundless energy to be both amusing and annoying at the same time. Her small joke earning some giggles from her fellow Gullwings.

"Wait, did Paine just make a joke?" Rikku interjected and tilted her head. Her friend Yuna not really paying attention as Shenzi was now almost dragging Zira up the stairs to watch the movie, prompting the brown haired girl to scold the Hyena, stating that one must be more gentle with a pregnant person.

Aqua sighed and placed a hand atop Naruto's as she spoke "A Keyblade user's duty isn't just to fight. But to protect. Our goal is to protect the realms from the Heartless and the World Order of each realm. The latter of which you almost undid."

"Yeah, Yeah… I know. I accidentally caused a Distortion when I saved Simba, in turn saving Mufasa, and in turn completely ruining the World Order. I know but… what was I supposed to do? I saw Simba in trouble and had to help him. And I did try to fix my accidental mistake." He grumbled a bit, his Keyblade vanishing as he crossed his arms.

"I know. I can't fault you for helping someone in danger, and it wouldn't be fair to punish you for that which you held no prior knowledge of. But I must warn you to be more wary the next time you visit a Realm. And next time, you will need an appropriate disguise to ward off suspicion. But we can worry about that a bit later. There's someone you need to meet first." Aqua spoke with a smile and then ushered him down to the Vault of storybooks.

"Hey! Who's going to run the Library while we're gone?" The blonde asked out of curiosity… that is until he saw a second Aqua sitting at a desk that sat in the center of the Library.

"Found a few of your world's cloning techniques. The Blood Clone one has been a total lifesaver whenever I need to leave for long periods of time. Now come, don't dawdle." She replied back as they quickly traveled down the stairs, entering the vault where the many story books rested on their respective pedestals. Before Naruto could question what who she wanted him to meet, he saw her pull a lever which caused the floor to start lowering itself down, revealing a new floor, suggesting that the vault had some kind of elevator system in place.

"Wow. Didn't see this last time. How many worlds are there?" He asked as he surveyed some of the titles, once again finding some familiar fairy tales along with titles he had never even heard of.

"Many, is the only word I can use. But we are going to one that's a little bit special." She remarked and picked up a book with no title, but had the picture of a castle on it. Before he could ask her why it was special she opened it, transporting the both of them inside this new realm with a bright flash of light. Naruto's vision was hazy for a few moments, he blinked a few times and found himself in some kind of courtyard, or maybe a garden area.

"Welcome to Disney Castle. The home of King Mickey." Aqua spoke as she gestured towards the castle that towered above them.

"King Mickey? I take it he's an important guy, not just for the fact he's a King. Right?" Naruto questioned as he clasped his hands behind his head.

"That's right. And who might you be?" Spoke a somewhat squeaky voice, prompting him to turn in the direction of two new figures, one being a three foot tall mouse creature, and the other being a Normal human man with a beard. Both of which seemed to be eating some kind of ice cream popsicle.

Aqua bowed a bit and spoke "King Mickey. I didn't realize you had company. This is Naruto Uzumaki, starting today, he shall serve as my apprentice and aid in protecting the realms."

"Hot dog! That's great news! Nice to meet you Naruto! Call me Mickey." The mouse spoke cheerfully, extending a hand out towards the whiskered teen who shook it… suffice it to say this 'King Mickey' wasn't at all what he was expecting. But then, one can't judge a book by its cover.

"And I am Ansem the Wise. King of Radiant Garden, and at times an advisor to King Mickey. And King Mickey is Indeed an 'important guy'. It is his duty to oversee the realms and make sure they are protected. In a way, Master Aqua is his subordinate, and must keep him up to date on the state of the realms." Ansem explained briefly, prompting Mickey to nod.

"Merlin the Wizard reported earlier that the Pride Lands nearly fell into Darkness. Something about a Distortion to the world order in that realm. I take it that was your doing boy?" Ansem asked with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion, making the blonde blush a bit in shame.

"Do not blame Naruto. I am also at fault. I had thought that the library was empty when I closed up, he then found the vault by accident and entered the Pride lands. I didn't know which realm he fell into so I was forced to search at random. When my assistants found him, he had accidentally disrupted the world order, but he was instrumental in restoring order, and in the process of battle with the Heartless, awakened his Keyblade. The Distortion has been cleared up and all is well now." Aqua reported, giving a brief account of the events in the Pride Lands.

"Well, what's done is done. Fortunately the realm was saved, and our new friend here has hopefully learned from his mistake." King Mickey spoke while making a shrug, since he noticed an apologetic look on the whiskered teen's face, who nodded since he had indeed learned his lesson.

"There's something else. We encountered these two guys in Black Cloaks. Aqua said they were Nobodies from Organization XIII. They were called Axel and Zero. The latter helped out by undoing the Distortion to be honest." The whiskered teen chimed in since that was a pretty important detail that both Mickey and Ansem may need to know about.

"It's true. I was about to mention that, but my apprentice beat me to the punch. There's one more thing. Zero can use a Keyblade." The bluenette spoke with a grim expression, while Ansem stroked his beard in thought.

"Organization XIII. I have been attempting to study and research them for some time now. Admittedly, some of their members so happen to be former apprentices of mine. It was approximately ten years ago that the Nobody called Zero took control of the Organization, not long after the Barrier separating the realms began to collapse. I suspect that Zero may have had something to do with it. Since that time, their movements have been sporadic to say the least. They randomly pop into various realms for unknown purposes, occasionally stirring up some trouble, and then vanish just as quickly without so much as a trace." Ansem explained to the boy.

"I have also been working with Ansem to try and capture or question members of the Organization, but they're a slippery lot." Aqua piped in with a small frown.

"I know this sounds weird, and I don't know a lot about these guys. But… I don't think Zero's all bad. Call it a gut feeling." Naruto spoke casually with his hands clasped behind his head. Zero did help out in the Pride Lands earlier, so he must have some good in him.

"Perhaps. Though we still don't know neither Zero's nor the organization's intentions or motives. You had best be sure to take things with a pinch of salt." Mickey gently warned the boy. Just then, in a puff of smoke appeared an old man dressed all in blue with a white beard.

"Ah! King Mickey, King Ansem, and Master Aqua, all in one place! Splendid! Something seems to be happening in the realm of Sleeping Beauty, Darkness is swirling uncontrollably and… I say, who're you boy?" The old man asked as he directed his attention to the blonde in question.

"I'm Naruto. Aqua's newest apprentice… as of today. And who are you old man?" The whiskered teen asked, judging from this stranger's appearance and that wand in his hand, he must be some kind of wizard.

"Ah, yes! I am Merlin! The Wizard, you might know me from the tales of King Arthur! Nice to meet you boy! I say… I didn't see you anywhere in the future. How odd." The wizard muttered at the end, an obviously puzzled expression on his face as he adjusted his spectacles a bit as he stared at the whiskered teen intensely, as though he were a specimen for study.

"What was that you were saying before Merlin? Something about Darkness within the realm of Sleeping Beauty?" Aqua interjected, breaking the Master Wizard from his musing.

"Ah yes! Quite right! As I was saying, it seems that Maleficent and King Stefan are preparing to go to war with each other! Things are looking right nasty!" Merlin spoke up.

Aqua crossed her arms beneath her bust and spoke to her new apprentice "Duty calls. I had hoped to train you in a more formal setting, but it seems you're going to be trained on the job."

"That's okay, I figured this was the kind of job you learned as you go. But how did you know to find us here Merlin?" Naruto asked since he found it a little convenient for the Wizard to have found them so easily.

"Ah! An excellent question my boy! I have the power to see into the future! Though... Sadly this power does have certain limitations. If only I had foreseen the Barrier's destruction then the realms might not have needed to be sealed into books." The wizard grieved for a brief moment as he adjusted his glasses.

"In any case, we should be going. If war does break out between Maleficent and Stefan, it could cause their realm to be swallowed by the Heartless." Aqua spoke and gave a small bow, before placing a hand on her apprentice's shoulder and snapping her fingers. Making the two of them vanish out of existence to their new destination, leaving behind the two monarchs and Wizard behind.

"Something on your mind King Mickey?" Ansem the Wise asked, noticing that his friend seemed lost in thought for some reason.

"That boy Naruto seemed like a nice fella. But I could sense a great and terrible power sleeping within him, one filled with immense hatred and malice." Mickey explained, his hands shaking a bit since he had never sensed such raw power in his life before.

"I believe I know what you are talking about. In the boy's realm there exists beasts of extraordinary power known as the Bijuu. Or Tailed Beasts. The various villages and Nations in his realm seek to control these beasts for their great power, thus their respective hosts are used as weapons of war known as Jinchuuriki. It would seem that Master Aqua has taken on a potentially dangerous apprentice. The question is though, can young Naruto control such destructive power?" Ansem questioned at the end with a thoughtful expression, it would be very interesting to see just how the boy would develop in Aqua's tutelage.

Fortunately, Aqua was a caring and nurturing figure with a big sister streak that forged a strong bond with the lost ones, Ventus and Terra, and it seemed that she and her new student were also quickly developing a bond together. Hopefully history would not be repeated a second time.

 **Realm of Sleeping Beauty. King Stefan's castle.**

"You sure it'll be okay leaving Shenzi and Zira at the library?" Naruto questioned as he walked alongside his new master, his eyes scanning the new environment as he observed some knights marching about or some servants zipped by in the course of their duties.

"They'll be fine for the moment. They seem totally enamored by the TV for now, and should anything go awry, the GullWings know that we're in this realm if they need us. And don't forget my Blood Clone is also there. That aside, a Lioness and a Hyena would draw unwanted suspicion anyway" She replied since they briefly informed the others of their intended whereabouts since they would now be on a mission.

"Mkay. Wow…my first official mission as a Keyblade wielder. There anything I gotta watch out for? Besides Heartless I mean." He asked since he figured that this job wouldn't be as straightforward as his time in the Pride Lands.

"The Heartless are drawn to those whose hearts are filled with Darkness. The Darker the heart, the easier it is for them to manifest and take over the realm. Though some people can hide the darkness within them, so keep a close eye out." She cautioned him, remembering how Xehanort manipulated her friend Terra into Darkness.

"Not surprising, Scar hid his true nature from his own family… that is until I helped reveal his true colors. Back in Konoha, my pal Yugao tells me that things are almost never cut and dry, so you need to read between the lines. Any way, we're going to see this King Stefan right? Try and get a read on the situation?" He asked at the end, his new teacher nodding in confirmation.

"That's right. Take a good look around you Naruto. The soldiers are all on edge, and the servants are scared. The place is a powder keg waiting to explode. It's only a matter of time before someone lights the fuse. Now, when we meet the King, let me do the talking and mind your manners." She cautioned him, making him nod in understanding since he wasn't exactly known for refined manners and such.

When they entered the Throne room, they found the King who was looking out the window, staring outside as he quietly muttered something to himself which the two Keyblade wielders couldn't hear. "Your majesty, King Stefan. I am Aqua, and this is my apprentice Naruto. We are here to help resolve the impending situation with Maleficent." she spoke up, introducing the both of them.

The King seemed shaken out of his stupor as he turned to face them, his eyes scanning their forms as if he were evaluating them. "I see. At the moment, we can't afford to turn away any kind of help." Stefan spoke as he tiredly slumped in his seat, his face pale and slightly ragged with some dark circles under his eyes, showing that he hadn't been sleeping much lately.

"Indeed your Highness, might you explain to us how this situation came to be? The more information we have, the easier it will be for us to assist." Aqua asked politely, earning a small nod from the King.

"It started after the birth of my daughter, Aurora. Maleficent showed up unexpectedly and then placed a curse on my child. On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora is to prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and be cast into an eternal sleep that can only be broken by true love's kiss. Since then, we have been preparing ourselves against Maleficent's dark domain, the Moors. The situation is especially intense since my daughter's sixteenth birthday is approaching, along with the day of the prophesized curse." The King explained, summarizing the events of the subsequent curse.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, and unable to contain himself spoke "Well your majesty, if you don't mind me asking… why did Maleficent curse the princess to begin with?" Aqua's eyes flicked over to her student, but she said nothing since she too was curious and he was minding his manners for the moment.

"Most obviously to get back at me." The king muttered, a grim expression crossing his face as he glared down at the floor for some reason.

"Get back at you for what, Majesty?" Naruto asked, finding that statement rather suspicious.

"Enough of this! If you're going to aid us, then do so! Do not waste my time further with these questions!" The King shouted in a defensive manner, attempting to deflect the question. Without a word, Aqua simply ushered her student out of the Throne room to avoid further angering the King. When they shut the doors behind them, Naruto gained a somewhat apologetic look.

"Gee. Guess I stepped into that one huh? Sorry Sensei. Guess I should have left all the talking to you." He apologized, but the bluenette smiled gently and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be sorry. You actually helped. Stefan was rather quick to avoid your question. Seems to me that he might have some skeletons in the closet." she replied as they walked down the halls, trying to get out of earshot from any nearby guards and the like.

"Yeah. And there's no room for doubt that Maleficent will know what his dirty secrets are. Maybe we should pay her a visit and ask?" The blonde suggested, a part of him wondering what kind of person this Maleficent was.

"Good idea. We can split up and cover more ground. You go to the Moors and speak with Maleficent, I'll stay here and see if I can find any more information." She spoke to her apprentice, though he gained a somewhat worried expression.

"You're okay with sending me off on my own? How will I even get to these 'Moors'? And what if you get in trouble or something?" He asked that last part out of genuine worry since his master might still be hurt from that beating she got from Zero.

"A teacher must always have faith in their students. And even without my help, you still handled yourself in the Pride Lands. And you'll probably be needing these." She replied confidently and handed him a map of the area along with some kind of strange device that easily fit in the palm of his hand.

"Always be prepared. That map will help show you the way. And that device is called a Gummiphone, a device that can let us communicate over long distances, even if we're in different realms. Keep it close by." She spoke, making him nod in understanding as he pocketed the device.

"Thanks Sensei… truth be told, I don't think I have ever had a teacher that trusted me so much. And this is my first day no less." He replied, feeling genuinely touched that she had enough faith in him for this job.

"Don't worry about it. Now, no heroics. No unnecessary risks, and above all, do not let anyone know you're from another realm." She warned him, earning a nod of understanding once more before he departed while reading the map, as his form vanished from sight, Aqua decided it was now up to her to handle things on her end. If King Stefan was hiding something, she was going to find out what it was.

 **Meanwhile. Keyblade Graveyard.**

Zero stood amidst the countless Keyblades imbedded in the ground, their hands clasped behind their back as they stared across the plains. "So many Keyblades… so many lives ruined. All for what? A prophecy?" Zero muttered to themselves with an exhausted sigh.

"What's that you're mumbling about?" Asked the form of a blonde haired girl named Larxene, a saucy grin on her face as she watched the form of the big boss.

"Nothing you need concern yourself with, Larxene. I actually have an assignment for you." Zero replied and turned towards the Savage Nymph, a small chuckle in their voice.

"Ooooh. An assignment! What's the job? Do I get to off somebody?" The blonde girl asked with sadistic glee as a set of throwing knives appeared between her fingers, the blades crackling with electricity.

"Not exactly… but pretty close. In the realm of Sleeping Beauty, war is ready to break out at any given moment. I need someone to fire the first shot to get things started." The mysterious Nobody explained, earning a broad smile from Larxene.

"Ooooh. I get to start a war? Now that's what I call an assignment! You're the best boss ever! I ever tell you that? And not that I'm complaining or anything… but why do you want to start a war in that realm anyway?" She asked as she gently tapped her chin with one of her knives in thought.

"Simple. War is one of the greatest producers of Darkness. It is a ferocious cycle of violence and hatred. War causes many things, most particularly, the loss of friends and loved ones. That loss breeds hate, and that hate breeds a desire for revenge, and then the whole thing starts over again in a cycle that is perpetually impossible to break. I want to see if the Keyblade wielders can shatter this cycle." Zero explained with a hearty chuckle, a suspicious look coming from the female Nobody.

"Hold up, that Aqua chick and the new kid Axel mentioned are already there? How'd you know about that?" The Blonde Nobody demanded, finding it odd how the boss knew this in advance.

"It is all by design. All part of the plan. Once the war begins, hang back and observe what happens. Do not interfere or make your presence known the the Keyblade users. We want them to think this war happened without our influence." Zero answered, largely evading Larxene's question.

The blonde girl scoffed a bit, annoyed at the fact that Zero was being as dodgy and mysterious as ever, but she was given a good job, so she had no room to complain. Without a word further, Larxene vanished out of sight to carry out her mission.

 **Meanwhile. Realm of Sleeping Beauty.**

"Should be this way." Muttered Naruto as he tried his best to follow the directions on the map his new sensei had provided him. He glanced up towards the sky and frowned a bit since it looked like it may rain at any given moment, so he tried to hurry along. Aqua was counting on him to do his job, and he didn't wish to disappoint her. He spotted a stream that he recognized from the map and decided to cross it to try and save some time.

Quite conveniently there was a set of stepping stones for him to hop across. He hopped on atop one stone, then leapt to the next one, on his third try, his foot slipped on the wet and slippery surface of the stone, sending him falling into the cold water, along with his map. He spluttered and splashed around until he found his footing again in the water… which was actually knee deep and waded over to dry land.

"Are you all right?" Spoke a gentle and melodic voice, making him turn in the direction of a blonde haired woman who had a look of concern on her face as she walked over to him. "That looked like a pretty nasty fall. And now you're soaked too. If you don't dry yourself out you might catch a cold." She spoke in a worried voice.

"Yeah… I didn't think to check and see how deep the water was. Stupid mistake. Now I feel like an idiot. Worse… seems my map has fallen apart." He replied back as he held up the remains of his map, the water soaked paper now useless to him as a gentle breeze sent the remains falling to the ground.

"That's indeed a problem. It would be bad if you got lost… If you like, I could show you the way to where you're going. Oh! But where are my manners, I haven't yet introduced myself. I am Briar Rose. And who might you be dearie?" She asked him with a charming smile, the whiskered teen blushing a bit as a small wave of shyness overcame him.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you Rose. I was actually on my way to the Moors. You know where that is?" He asked her in a polite tone, his question caused Rose to tilt her head for a moment, placing a finger to her cheek in thought before a sly smile crossed her lips.

"I do indeed. I have always wanted to see what lies within the Moors… I think that fate brought us together." Rose spoke with a light hearted giggle.

"If so, then I'm not complaining. And you haven't seen the Moors despite knowing where it is? Why's that?" He asked out of confusion as he scratched his cheek a bit.

"See, The Moors aren't all that hard to find. Getting inside is the problem. Their leader put up a wall of Thorns as far as the eye can see around the Moors. King Stefan's soldiers have poked and prodded at it for many a moon, trying to find a weakness. But none have entered inside yet." Rose explained with a small sigh since she too was unable to enter the Moors for that reason. Her statement made Naruto all the more suspicious of King Stefan if he had troops trying to break into the Moors… if anything he was likely provoking this Maleficent to action by attempting to invade her domain.

"Well… Some thorns aren't gonna stop me! I need to get in there and speak with Maleficent, pronto." He spoke with urgency, though for some reason his words earned a few giggles from the blonde woman.

"Pronto? You use some interesting words. Come now, we must hurry and find shelter before it rains. I think some droplets are already falling from the sky." She warned him, pointing up at the dark grey clouds. She gently took him by the wrist and started to guide him away from the stream, deeper into the woods.

"You seem rather young to be out in the woods all by yourself. Do you not have any family?" Rose asked out of concern since she didn't want his family to worry about him.

"Nah. No Family. I'm… an orphan actually. I kinda had to learn how to take care of myself for the first part of my life. And I'm on a mission for my teacher, she entrusted me to talk with the big boss of the Moors and I don't want to let her down. Especially since this is my first mission. And please don't treat me like a helpless kid, I'm fifteen you know!" He explained at the end with a chuckle.

Rose seemed a bit taken aback by his status as an orphan and felt a bit ashamed if she had touched on a sensitive subject for him, so she decided to change the subject a bit "What a coincidence! I too am fifteen, though my birthday is fast approaching and I shall soon be sixteen." She responded, making Naruto blink his eyes a few times since he had thought that Rose actually looked and acted older than she actually was. Though he would refrain from commenting on that since she might take it as an insult.

"Wow. Really? For someone my age… you're drop-dead gorgeous." He spoke with a smile, his face flushing a bit.

"How kind of you. Come, we're not much further from some shelter." She spoke as she pointed towards a cave and guided him inside, and just in time too as thunder began to rumble and a thick blanket of rain began to fall to the ground. It was pitch black inside the cave but he could hear the blonde woman moving about and then placing something on the ground. Sparks flew about in the darkness until a fire started in the center of the cave.

"Sometimes I come here for shelter from the rain or to be alone, so I store wood and blankets here in case I need them. Come. Let's get those clothes off." She spoke and then proceeded to strip his clothes from him so they may better dry off next to the fire. Soon he was left in only his boxers making his face blush a deep red since he was now standing in front of a woman, in only his underwear, though Rose seemed to pay no mind to this as she carefully folded up his clothes next to the fire and placed his armor off to the side.

He grabbed a blanket to cover himself as he sat next to the fire, with Rose joining alongside him as she hugged her knees to her chest. "You said you sometimes come here to be alone…alone from who?" He asked since he had always sought after love affection and attention for a large portion of his life, so the thought of desiring to be alone sometimes perplexed him.

"Well… you see. I have lived with my three Aunts all my life, and my life has been… sheltered to say the least. I have had no contact with people, and my only friends are my Aunts and the animals of the forest. A large part of me wants to leave these woods, to go out and see the world. To meet new people, visit new places. Maybe someday find my true love." She explained with a small smile on her face as she mentioned her true love, making the whiskered teen realize she must be a romantic type.

"With your good looks, kind and gentle personality, and that lovely voice, I'm pretty sure you will find him… though you might need to fight off some other guys before you get to him. What's your true love supposed to be like anyway?" He asked out of curiosity, hoping to get to know his newest companion better.

"Strong, brave, kind and handsome. Wears his heart on his sleeve and ready to leap into action to protect what he loves." Rose replied with a slightly dreamy expression on her face, making her fellow blonde chuckle. He then felt his nose itch and he let out a loud sneeze, causing Rose to look over in his direction.

"Oh dear. You are catching a cold. Come on, we need to warm you up before it gets worse." She spoke and shed her own clothes, exposing her mature and well developed figure. She straddled him and gently pushed him to the ground with her warm sun kissed skin pressing against his own, her large High C-cup borderline D-cup breasts pressed against his chest.

"Feel better?" She asked him as she grabbed a second blanket and laid it overtop of their bodies. A small part of Naruto wanted to try and reject this… treatment, but a much bigger part of him said to try and relax and enjoy it, so his only response was to nod since he didn't trust his own voice right now. "Good. We'll get going once the rain dies down. Sleep well." She spoke as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Naruto however could scarcely believe the fact he was in such an… Ecchi situation with a nude woman atop him, sharing her body heat with him. He wasn't sure if she did this believing he was her true love, if she was simply doing this out of concern for his health, or maybe it was both these things. Well, regardless… he wasn't in much position to complain, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings by rejecting her kindness. His musing was broken when he realized that he had popped a boner, his length pitching a tent in his boxers, threatening to tear the fabric apart. For some reason… he felt that this was going to be a loooooong night.

 **Elsewhere. King Stefan's Castle.**

Aqua quietly walked along the halls, noting the fact that numerous blacksmiths and iron workers were hard at work forging weapons, armor, and nets all of which were made from iron. Even the hall to King Stefan's chambers was converted into a potential death trap with spikes and hooks made from iron. It was obvious that Stefan had been preparing for some time now.

She stopped when she heard the King's voice, it sounded like he was speaking to someone, but no one was replying back. Finding it odd, the Keyblade master quietly approached the source of the noise and found the King sitting alone in a chair, speaking to a trophy case wrapped in chains. Within the trophy case was a large pair of wings, much too large for any ordinary bird to use. Why was Stefan so fixated on those wings? She didn't know, and it didn't seem like a good idea to confront him on the subject.

Even from behind, in the dim candlelit room, she could see that the King was but a shell of a man, and he was unwell in the head as he quietly laughed to himself. Deciding that she had seen enough, Aqua quietly departed since it was plain to see that Stefan's heart was mired in the Darkness. She was a bit worried about her student, but she'd give him a little more time before checking in. After all, she wanted to receive the whole story before choosing how best to act in this situation since it would be unwise to act with incomplete information and Maleficent was the remaining piece of the puzzle.

 **End Chapter six.**

 **Extra Scene: Security!**

The Blood Clone of Aqua quietly sat at the reception desk, humming quietly as she read from a book titled 'Moby Dick' she was interrupted when something slammed against the desk, making her look up and see a book titled 'Attract your ideal man in ten days or less!' The person returning said book was a girl with bright pink hair with a deep scowl on her face.

"What a total waste of time! That book was utterly worthless! It didn't help me attract my Sasuke-kun whatsoever!" The girl whined loudly, causing C-Aqua's eyebrow to twitch slightly in annoyance.

"I doubt it was the fault of the book." The Bluenette muttered since it was something wrong with either the pinkette or this 'Sasuke-kun'... or maybe both. Difficult to say since she didn't understand the whole situation.

"What was that you said bitch?! Don't get all smug with me because some perverts keep hitting on you." Sakura shouted angrily while stomping her foot on the floor.

"Miss. This is a library, please maintain some quiet and civility on the premises, or I will have to ask security to eject you from the Library." C-Aqua replied in a blank tone of voice, very much tempted to push the buzzer to summon said security.

"You ought to be ejected from here! I've heard the stories! You keep on refusing dates with men cuz you're into kids! A pedo like you shouldn't even be running this place!" Sakura screeched out, almost making blood spill from C-Aqua's ears. The bluenette sighed since the Original Aqua came up with that lie to discourage people from hitting on her, but it still came with certain consequences.

Without a word further, the Clone pressed a buzzer, causing the doors on the upper floor to burst open and a gray and black blur landed in front of the Fangirl, before Sakura could even blink, a roundhouse kick smashed against the side of her face, sending her to the floor. When she looked up, she saw the pear-shaped form of some kind of anthropomorphic Hyena lady, and just like that, Sakura's vision faded to black as she fell unconscious. Shenzi cackled as her large bubble butt wobbled and turned towards C-Aqua and then muttered the word "Roadhouse."

 **End Scene.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Another Chapter. Another update. Am hoping to get back on track, so I hope you enjoy the chapter. Reviews are welcome as are feedback and suggestions. Thanks very much!**

 **Also, something I forgot to clarify in the previous chapter. Characters shall be their animated counterparts unless stated otherwise. Sorry for the confusion.**

 **Chapter Seven: Seeds of hatred! Enter Maleficent! (Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent arc. Part two.)**

On the cave flooring, Naruto stirred awake as his eyes slowly opened. A familiar weight on top of him as he felt the warmth coming off of Rose's body. He gulped a bit, remembering yesterday's events. Though fortunately it seems like his boner had calmed down since then. With a sigh he tried to gently stir the girl awake with his hand on the side of her waist "Hey. Rose. Wake up." He whispered gently to her, trying to stir her from her slumber.

"Five more minutes." She muttered sleepily as one of her legs wrapped around his, shifting her position slightly which caused his hand to find itself against the soft and supple flesh of one of her ass cheeks. He gulped a bit at the accidental contact and released her butt, trying to nudge at her waist a bit harder now.

"No time. We need to get to the Moors. Remember? I'm on a mission." He spoke a bit louder, at the mentioning of the Moors, Rose's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up. "Goodness! You're right! We have wasted more than enough time here." she spoke as she sought out her clothes to change back into them, almost throwing them back on her person, with the whiskered teen doing the same. Fortunately his clothes were dry now as he placed them back on, along with the samurai-esque armor.

Once they had finished changing, they exited the cave and stretched out their limbs, making their joints pop a bit. "So which way to the Moors Rose?" Naruto asked his fellow blonde.

In response, Rose pointed in the appropriate direction and responded, "That way. Don't worry, it's not too far from here." With that they began their trek through the woods, with Naruto following his new friend. All the while, he still felt a bit embarrassed about what happened.

"So uh… Rose… thanks for… you know. Sharing your body heat and all that. I'd never done that with a girl before." He spoke, trying to make a little conversation since the silence of the forest felt a bit deafening to him.

"Think nothing of it. I couldn't have allowed you to get sick like that. And it was my first time as well. Tell me… did you ever love a girl back wherever it is you come from?" She asked him, feeling a bit curious about his love life. He seemed like a nice boy. And he was nice looking as well, those whisker marks in particular were irresistibly adorable. How could he NOT have found his special one?

"Well… I thought I had." He replied in a slightly dejected manner, making Rose quirk up an eyebrow in curiosity. "Whatever do you mean Naruto?" She asked him, wondering what he meant by that statement.

"There was this girl I used to like. Sakura Haruno. I would always try to get her attention and ask her on dates, but she would always angrily refuse me and hit me on the head." He responded with a slightly sheepish smile, a frown appearing on his fellow blonde's face.

"She sounds like a brute and a bully." Rose spoke with a slight hint of venom to her words, finding it difficult to believe that someone would treat a nice boy like Naruto so badly. "I'm surprised you didn't change your mind much sooner." She commented with a slightly dry tone to her voice.

"Same. I was… going through a rough time back then. People would often ignore me or give me a wide berth. I was kind of desperate for almost any kind of attention, even negative attention. Just so long as someone acknowledged my existence. But… things have gotten a lot better for me now." He explained, giving a small piece of his life story to his fellow blonde. Now that he was adventuring and seeing new places and meeting new people, he could almost feel the void in his heart being filled.

Before Rose could question him more on his past, they stopped in front of the remains of what was once a campsite, the remnants of a campfire on the ground in front of them signaling that someone had been here. Naruto held his hand above the charred wood and ash pile to check the temperature. "Still warm. Someone was here recently before they moved on. King Stefan's men?" The blonde asked at the end as he retracted his hand.

"Most likely. I sometimes see them patrolling around or trying to cut through the wall of thorns. We should probably keep going before we run into them." Rose replied in a worried tone, prompting the whiskered teen to nod as they forged on ahead, keeping a careful eye out for any soldiers.

"So Rose, Why is it you want to enter the Moors so badly, if you don't mind me asking?" The Jinchuuriki asked to pick up their previous conversation. For some reason, he felt like these entire woods were cast deep in darkness and shadows, a dark and oppressive aura coming off of the trees which unsettled him a bit.

"I had heard many stories about the Moors. That it is a strange and unusual place filled with all sorts of magical creatures. I am simply overcome with curiosity to see if the stories are true. Why do you ask?" She questioned him, and quickly noted that her new friend seemed a bit on edge, in fact he seemed to be shivering a bit. Was he still cold?

"I… uhhh… just want you to keep talking. Your voice is rather soothing. And these woods are kinda spooking me a bit. Just please… talk about something. Anything." He requested almost desperately as he dryly swallowed a lump in his throat. Charging headlong into a Wildebeast stampede or Heartless horde? No problem? Challenge a power hungry and murderous scheming lion? Can do. Take a walk and hunt in the Forest of Death? He could do that with his eyes closed. But these woods had an altogether different feeling to them. They air itself seemed to be mired with numerous emotions. Fear, anger, and hate being the most dominant.

"Erm… I'm not sure what to talk about. My life hasn't been that interesting since I just live with my three aunts, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather… would it help you if I sing a little?" She offered, finding it pleasing that he found her voice soothing, and hoped that her singing would help calm him a bit. Naruto nodded in confirmation that it might help him a bit, so she cleared her throat and began to quietly sing low enough for him to hear without attracting undue attention.

" _If I had words to make a day for you. I'd sing you a morning golden and new, I would make this day last for all time. Give you a night deep in moonshine."_ Her voice helped to calm the whiskered teen's nerves as they inched ever closer to the edge of the Moors. Marked by stone pillars and a wall of thorns that were large enough to skewer a horse.

"Well… We're here… now what?" Naruto asked since he hadn't taken into account how they'd even get into the Moors in the first place. Dumb mistake on his part. How was he supposed to meet Maleficent now?

Rose adopted a thinking pose since this had also slipped her mind. "Stefan's troops have already tried burning and cutting their way through. Nothing works. I think the thorns are magically reinforced." She spoke, pointing out the soldiers previous failings.

"Can't climb over or go through. If we fell or had some kind of accident, those thorns would impale us easily. Digging under would probably take too long, and they're probably underground too. I doubt going around would work either." Naruto spoke his thoughts aloud to hear himself think, this was undoubtedly a huge stumbling block for the both of them.

Rose sighed as she smoothed out her hair and announced "Excuse me for a moment. I need to go."

"Go? Go where?" Naruto asked with a slightly alarmed tone to his voice, fearing that Rose was leaving.

"You know… badly." She explained, making the Jinchuuriki blush a bit upon realizing she meant she needed to relieve herself. He nervously nodded a bit in embarrassment and replied, "Right. Sorry. You go on ahead, I'll wait here for ya."

"I won't be gone for long." She spoke reassuringly before walking into the trees, being sure she remained both a safe distance from her friend for the sake of privacy and that she stayed within earshot in case of trouble. As Naruto waited patiently, he tapped his foot on the ground, still trying to figure out a way into the Moors.

A quiet giggle was heard making him raise an eyebrow "Back so soon Rose?" He asked as he turned in the direction of the giggling and saw a young girl with a fox mask sitting on a rock. A small smile on her face as she waved at him.

"What the..? Who're you?! How long were you sitting there? You're pretty suspicious looking!" He blubbered as he summoned his keyblade and pointed it at the stranger. She just laced her fingers together and giggled some more as her mask face stared in his direction, obviously unfazed by the threatening gesture.

"Me? I'm just a humble traveler. Much like you. I was here before you were, and couldn't help but overhear your conversation with your friend. And I assure you… I am no one suspicious." She replied back before getting up from her seat and approaching the whiskered teen. He felt no immediate threat coming from the girl, but he still felt something was a little off, so he wouldn't let his guard down just yet.

"Are you Maleficent?" He asked since he wasn't sure what Maleficent was even supposed to look like and he found it odd this girl so happened to be hanging around just outside the Moors like this. Instead of answering his question, she lifted up a lone finger and touched the tip of the blade, a thing smile appearing on her cheeks.

"This blade… it seems content to be in your hands. It says that you're a truly good person. I'm glad to see my old friend is in good hands." She spoke with a warm voice making the whiskered teen raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"Old friend? You know about this Keyblade?" He asked as he glanced between both the weapon and this mysterious fox masked girl.

"To hold and bear the power of the Keyblade is both a great opportunity and a heavy burden. You get to see and explore that which many can only dream and imagine. But you're also shackled by the responsibility of being a protector. Your road will be a long one, I'm afraid. But here's a small piece of advice for you: There are two ways to strengthen the Heart. By forging bonds with others. And by overcoming those who also possess strong hearts. Do remember this if you wish to grow stronger." She spoke as she flashed a broad smile.

"What in the hell are you talking about?! Stop talking in circles and give me a straight answer!" He shouted, becoming increasingly frustrated by this girl evading his questions and leaving him with even more.

"Figure it out for yourself." She replied before turning around to walk away, and then snapped her fingers causing a section of the Thorn wall to retract, exposing a clear pathway into the Moors. "You wanted to see Maleficent, right? Now's your chance. I hope to see you again soon Naruto Uzumaki." The fox masked girl spoke, shocking the Jinchuuriki since she called him by name. With a growl, he tried to grab her shoulder to keep her from leaving, but his had phased through and he grabbed at nothing but empty space. Her form vanishing out of existence like a ghost or a mirage. The last thing he saw of her form was an annoying cheshire cat-like grin and that fox mask staring at him… almost as if it were mocking him.

"Naruto? Naruto are you okay? I heard shouting and… how did that get there?" Rose asked as she reappeared, pointing at the new pathway into the Moors. The blonde boy sighed as he made his Keyblade disappear and turn to his friend to explain what had happened just now.

"There was a girl here. I think she was watching us. She was a weird one. She rambled on a bit and then opened up that path for us. I tried to catch her and figure out who she was, but she just disappeared on me, almost like she was never even here." The whiskered teen muttered in disappointment. Though on the upside, at least now they had a way to finally meet Maleficent.

"How strange but… she did help us. So… she can't be a bad person." Rose pointed out, adopting a thinking pose as she crossed her arms beneath her bust.

"I guess so." The whiskered teen muttered, though he was still confused by what had recently transpired. He decided to shrug it off and shelve it for now, they had more important things to worry about than some masked girl that was probably a little bit on the crazy side. "Let's go, the sooner we talk with Maleficent, the better." he said with a somewhat tired sigh and took Rose's hand into his own as they walked through the open pathway. No sooner did they clear the wall of Thorns, did a trio of twelve foot tall tree like entities bar their way. Glaring down at them as they pointed their spears at the two blondes.

"Woah now fellas. Not looking for any trouble here. We just wanna talk with Maleficent. Can you take us to her?" Naruto spoke in a calming voice, trying to NOT provoke the Tree creatures. The two looked at each other and muttered something in a strange language before nodding in agreement. They lowered their spears and one gestured for the blondes to follow him.

The other guard remained behind to guard the pathway as his partner guided the two blondes in the appropriate direction. So far so good, at least they hadn't been attacked by the residents of the Moors. Hopefully this Maleficent was in a talking mood.

 **Meanwhile. King Stefan's castle.**

Aqua bit her lip slightly as she stared down at her Gummiphone, she was feeling a little bit apprehensive since she was still waiting for her student to report back since it had now been a little over a day. But then… she hadn't actually taught him to use his Gummiphone, so he was still probably trying to figure it out, or maybe he was still trying to speak with Maleficent.

She pocketed her Gummiphone, deciding to give her student a bit more time. If she didn't hear anything back by tonight, she would attempt calling him herself. But for now… she had something to investigate. She had been waiting for an opportunity to enter the trophy room where she had seen Stefan speaking to that set of wings, and at long last, he had finally left the room. She sneaked inside and approached the trophy case to get a better look at those wings.

She hmmed to herself in thought as she noticed the wings would occasionally twitch, almost as if they still had some life in them. They were large and golden brown in color, and they seemed large enough to easily carry a person off the ground. Just why was Stefan so fixated on them? They are definitely significant to him for some reason.

Her musing was cut short when she heard a voice speak from behind her "What are you doing in here?" Aqua tensed up but quickly put on a calm facade as she slowly turned around and was met by the form of King Stefan, who looked all the more unkempt and perhaps deranged even.

"I was looking for you, your highness. The guards told me you often spend your time in here." She lied smoothly, her answer prompting the king to give a satisfied nod as he sat in his chair.

"I see. Lovely specimens, aren't they?" He asked pointing at the case containing the wings while a crooked smile formed on his lips. Making Aqua's skin crawl a bit.

"I don't think I've ever seen a bird have wings of that size. Where did they come from?" She asked, trying to pry a little information from the king. He merely grunted, ignoring her question.

"She's coming you know. Maleficent. I know how she thinks. Once the curse fails, she'll come for me. And I'll be ready for her. I know her weakness." He muttered with a cackle, though from his expression… it was almost like he was no longer even acknowledging the Bluenette's presence and was instead speaking with himself. Aqua raised an eyebrow when he mentioned something about a weakness… she had noticed that Stefan and his men had been stockpiling weapons, tools and armor all made up of iron.

Not to mention that labyrinth of iron spikes. No doubt that all had something to do with it… Aqua remembered then that many species of Fairies are burnt by iron, so that was probably the reason why. In any case… it is clear that Stefan is unwell and she wouldn't be able to get anything out of him. She decided to leave as quickly and quietly and possible and try her luck elsewhere in the castle.

As soon as she left the trophy room, her Gummiphone began vibrating in her pocket, signaling that she was receiving a call. Believing it to be her student, she immediately picked up and used her finger to flick upward on the green icon to pick up the call… only to see the face of King Mickey. "Oh, your Highness. I wasn't expecting a call from you. How can I help you?" She spoke, wondering what Mickey wanted.

"I hate to pull you off your current mission Master Aqua… but we have a situation on our hands." Mickey explained, making the Bluenette's face twist into a mixture of both concern and confusion.

"What kind of situation?" She asked, if the King was calling her about this personally and judging from his downcast expression… something serious must be happening right now.

 **Back in the Moors. With Naruto and Rose.**

The two blondes followed the tree like entity, all the while it seemed like they had picked up some observers that were following behind them, watching them with interest. They were creatures of all manner of shapes and sizes, ranging from colorful fairies and other strange beings that the blondes couldn't put a name to. Fortunately, most of them seemed to actually be rather friendly and full of curiosity.

Their demeanor changed when the blonde duo approached a throne like area where a horned woman sat with a scepter in one hand whilst stroking the back of a crow. The crow cawed a bit, alerting its mistress to their presence, when she looked up she turned to the tree entity that had escorted them for an explanation to which he replied in a strange language.

"Oh yeah, you're definitely a Maleficent." Naruto piped in with a slightly nervous chuckle, feeling himself shrink a bit under the horned woman's gaze as she slowly got up from her throne and approached the two humans. Her eyes scanning their forms up and down, taking in every detail she could find.

"Names?" Was the single demand of the horned woman as she stared down at the form of the whiskered teen.

"I'm Naruto. This is Rose. We uhh… came here to talk to you. At least… I did. Rose showed me the way to the Moors." He explained, feeling much like an insect trapped beneath a microscope under her intense gaze.

She gave a small 'hrm' noise as she tapped her chin in thought before asking, "How did you enter my domain?"

"A weird girl in a fox mask opened the way for us. I actually came here to ask you about King Stefan." Naruto spoke, trying to move things along a bit and get to the real reason why he was here. Upon the mentioning of the king, many of the fairies and other assorted creatures mumbled and shivered in fear, the air surrounding Maleficent growing darker and more oppressive as her grip tightened around her scepter.

"Careful child. That name is most unwelcome in the Moors." She half growled through her teeth, making both blondes swallow a bit in fear.

"Right. Sorry about that. It's just the fact that the King had been gearing up for a war with your realm and…" Naruto tried to speak but was cut off when Maleficent scoffed in a haughty manner at him.

"Hah! That's no secret! Humans have long desired to conquer the Moors, and the King's soldiers have been banging on my doorstep day and night, seeking entry. If you have no further business here, then begone!" Maleficent spoke and gave a dismissive wave of her hand as if she were shooing the two humans away.

"I'm not done yet! What's your beef with Stefan anyway? That's what I came here to find out!" He angrily shouted at her retreating form, making the Horned woman stop in her tracks for a moment before looking over her shoulder. For a moment, a brief moment, she sensed something within him. Ancient and dormant power, the kind that was as wild as a beast, and more powerful than she had ever felt in existence.

"Excuse me?" Was all Maleficent said as she cocked up and eyebrow, with her crow companion perched on her shoulder as he tilted his head in curiosity.

Feeling that he may have gotten through to her, an emboldened Naruto replied "Me and my master Aqua, asked the King why you hate him so much, but he didn't answer. So I came here to find out, directly from you, why this feud has been going on. Please tell me why you've been holding a grudge against him."

Maleficent pursed her lips for a moment as her eyes flicked between both blondes. Rose had been silent the whole time, far too busy taking in all the sights of the Moors while the Leader of the Moors sensed something familiar about the girl… it was some of Maleficent's own magic. This girl… could only be Stefan's spawn. Was fate playing some kind of trick on her today?

The horned Fairy was unsure whether to be irked or amused by Rose's presence… and there was something about that boy too. He had an earnest and honest look about him as well. "Very well… come with me. We may speak in private." Maleficent spoke as she gestured for the two humans to follow her, prompting Naruto to gently tug on Rose's arm to snap her back to attention as they walked behind the Horned woman, her crow companion watching their every movement in case they tried something.

After a few moments, they arrived at a secluded pond that churned and bubbled a bit, warm steam coming off its surface making Naruto realize that it was a hot spring. "You wanted to know why I hate the King so much? I shall tell you. But before I tell you something about myself… I wish to learn more about the both of you. A simple trade, if you will." Maleficent spoke as she summoned a trio of chairs formed from tree roots for them to sit on.

After they took their seats, Naruto decided that he'd speak first "I guess that's fair. I'm guessing you wanna see if you can trust us or something. I'll start. I'm an orphan, I grew up without any family whatsoever and had to learn to look out for myself from an early age. I didn't have that many friends either since people would either ignore me or keep their kids away, and the few friends I had, had problems of their own in their lives such as work or personal stuff.

Most often people ignored my very existence, and I felt like I was a ghost. So I did a lot of pranks and stuff to get attention, even if it got me in trouble. Wasn't until much later I learned why I was treated so badly… but I don't really want to talk about that part. But now, things have gotten a lot better for me recently, since I met my new teacher Aqua and I also made new friends too. Like Rose here for example." He spoke, pointing towards his fellow blonde.

Maleficent tapped her fingers against the bauble on her staff a few times, easily sensing the truth and sincerity in the boys words. She tried to sense that strange power from earlier, but couldn't find it. She knew for sure she hadn't imagined it…and there was something about this child that caught her attention and she couldn't figure out why.

Rose blushed a bit before speaking "Indeed. Me and Naruto became friends almost immediately after meeting one another. My past isn't that interesting to say the least… I have been living with my three aunts for as long as I could remember, and that's about it. For many years I have heard stories about the mysterious Moors and I have always wanted to see what lies beyond the wall of Thorns. And I was not disappointed…" As she spoke, Rose began to list off and ramble about how amazed and fascinated she was by the Moors. Words flew out of her mouth a mile a minute to the point that Naruto was having difficulty keeping up with her.

Maleficent silently listened to the girl rambling on, finding it amusing that such a young and innocent girl took such great joy in simply seeing her domain. After a few moments, the Horned Fairy cleared her throat in order to get the girl's attention. "I am quite pleased you hold the Moors in such high esteem. Tell me though… you have absolutely no knowledge of who your parents are? Your aunts never even mentioned them?" At her question, Rose simply shook her head negatively, showing that she had no idea about her parentage.

"I see. You have been gracious enough to share a little of yourselves. I shall return the favor. The king and I have… history together. Years ago, when I was younger, more innocent and naive, I befriended Stefan when he was but a peasant boy after he attempted to steal from the Moors. When I came of age, he gave me what he claimed to be 'True Love's kiss'. But as time went on, we drifted apart.

The previous King attempted to invade the Moors, and in the battle I injured him after knocking him off his horse. Stefan came later to warn me, claiming he wished to reconnect with me… but little did I know he was conspiring against me. He drugged me, and in my sleep… he cut my wings off my back. Presenting them to the old king so that he may take the crown for himself." Maleficent explained, sharing her story with the two blondes, she then got up from her seat and turned around, letting her robes fall down a little, exposing her back… and the small scarred stubs where her wings used to be.

Rose covered mouth, her face paling in horror while Naruto swallowed dryly, his face alight with anger as he shouted "The bastard! When I see him again, I'm going to kick his ass!"

"That must have been awful for you… but I don't think it was just your wings he took. He trampled on your feelings and left you with a broken heart, didn't he? The pain of betrayal… must have been unimaginable." Rose spoke sadly, while the Horned fairy readjusted her clothes again to cover her scars.

"It still hurts to this day. I will never forgive him for what he did to me." Maleficent admitted, it had been some time since she had confided in anyone… the only other creature being her constant companion Diaval who chirped sadly at his Mistress' pain.

"There's one other things that needs clearing up. Stefan had a kid. You cursed her to get back at the King. I could understand cursing Stefan with plague, or impotence or something, but a baby girl that never did anything to you? That's just wrong!" Naruto spoke angrily, scolding the Fairy Queen for her past wrongs.

Rose placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and spoke gently "Hush Naruto. What she did was wrong, yes… but people often do stupid or bad things when they're angry or in pain. Hatred is like a poison that seeps into the heart, and if it is strong enough, it can drive people to do horrible things, or perhaps even be passed onto others. I am sure that wherever the king's child is, they would forgive Maleficent if they understood the source of her pain."

"Would she?" Maleficent asked with a hollow smile, finding it almost a little funny how Stefan's own child was in the presence of his mortal enemy. Still… she had no reason to harm this girl at the moment, but still… should she reveal the girl's true origins or wait a little longer? If her count was right, the girl's birthday was only a short time away. And on that day, the effect of her curse would take place.

"I guess you're right Rose. At least now we know who the real villain is! I'm gonna head back to the castle and kick Stefan's ass." He responded and cracked his knuckles, his fiery spirit earning an amused laugh from the Fairy Queen.

"Are you sure that's wise? You can't simply march up to the king and beat him like a common thug in a back alley brawl. As soon as you do, you'll be making an enemy of an entire kingdom." Maleficent warned him with a haughty smile.

"If we find the king's child and explain the situation to them, they might be willing to help us. Once we force the King to confess his crimes and abdicate the throne, his child can return your wings to you as a peace offering. Everybody wins except Stefan." Rose offered, already thinking up a solution that might help everyone which impressed her fellow blonde as stars shined in his eyes before a look of concern crossed his face

"You sure she will help us? We don't even know where she is or what kind of a person she is." Naruto groaned as he crossed his arms with a somewhat thoughtful expression on his face.

"Have some faith my friend. We won't know unless we try. Maleficent, could you help us find Stefan's daughter?" The blonde girl requested, earning a slow nod from the Queen of the Moors.

"I believe I have a strong idea where she may be. Would you care to spend the night before we begin our search?" She asked in a hospitable tone, earning some nods since it would be a good idea to rest up before they began the next step of their journey. Rose was a little worried about her three aunts… but she was now involved in something much bigger than just denizens of the Moors were in danger from Stefan's war and personal grudge against Maleficent. And she wanted to help, hopefully her family would understand, though it would probably be a good idea to send them some kind of message.

"Maleficent? Would it be alright if I sent a message to my aunts? I'm sure they must be worried about me by now." At Rose's request, Maleficent waved her hand, summoning a small table and writing materials for the unknowing Princess to use.

"Diaval shall deliver your letter when you are ready. Pray tell, where might he deliver it?" The horned woman asked with a sly smile, eager to know where the girl had been hidden all these years.

"Due east of the Moors in a woodcutter's cottage. About four or five miles from your borders." Rose spoke and then gave more precise directions to the crow who nodded after quickly memorizing them.

"So near… right where I wouldn't suspect." Maleficent muttered, silently giving credit to the three Good Fairies who had kept the girl in their care. She would never have suspected that they would be living so close to the Moors, instead of some distant land. It was quite clever of them to say the least.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Maleficent?" Naruto asked since he thought he heard her mumbling something to herself.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking to myself. If you'll excuse me, I must seal that breach before Stefan's troops find it. Make yourselves at home." She replied, her lips curling into a smile as she gave a small cackle before excusing herself and departing towards the border where the breach was, as mentioned by the guard from earlier.

Once they were out of earshot, Diaval began cawing at his mistress to get her attention so they might speak together in private. When Maleficent felt they were at a comfortable enough distance, she waved her hand and the crow took on his human form. He laughed a little bit as he straightened his clothes and spoke between a few chuckles, "I don't believe this! What are the chances that Stefan's daughter would just willingly waltz right into the Moors?!"

"Granted these are highly unusual circumstances. I cannot tell if it is by fate or chance those two came to us. Perhaps more importantly… I believe that an opportunity has just presented itself to us." Maleficent spoke with a sly smile, finally seeing a chance at getting justice for what was done to her all those years ago.

"The girl is obviously unaware of her true heritage and visibly disgusted by her father's crimes against me and the Moors. We can use that to our advantage. Nothing would satisfy me more than to see Stefan's crown taken from him and he rots in jail for the rest of his days, knowing that I have beaten him and he has lost everything." She further elaborated on her plan, making the crow chuckle in amusement.

"So you're gonna do some big reveal for the girl later on? I see… but still… I couldn't help but notice the weird looks you were giving the boy. Something about him I don't know of?" Diaval asked, even in his crow form he could tell there was something about the kid. He had a dangerous scent about him that made his feathers stand on end for a while.

"Whether he knows it or not. That child, Naruto, holds untold power within himself. If he were to tap into it, he could easily surpass me in raw power alone. Personally… I believe he is from another realm entirely." She explained, though her constant companion seemed more confused than before.

"Another realm? And that power of his surpassing yours… is that good or bad?" He asked her, making her tap against her scepter for a moment.

Finally, she smiled and replied back to him "Difficult to say at this time. When it comes to people who hold great power and are unsure of how to properly control it… anything could happen. Now… I think that's enough talk for now. Go back to our guests. I will return later." She instructed him before turning him back into his true bird form, with a caw he flapped his wings and flew back towards where they had left the two blondes.

Maleficent continued on towards the border where the breach was located, a heavy sigh escaping her lips as a feeling of exhaustion came over her. A small part of her was hoping for a chance at peace between the Moors and the human kingdom, but with the power hungry and ever paranoid Stefan sitting on the throne, such a thing wasn't possible. The kind and innocent 'Rose' or Princess Aurora might just be the ruler that the human kingdom needed.

But where did that Naruto boy fit into all of this? The dormant power within him could not have been from this world, so it stood to reason he came from 'the outside'. If her hunch was correct, then that child's presence could mean a number of things for this realm's future. Her musing was broken when she sensed an unfamiliar presence nearby… the sound of metal cutting through the air prompting her to raise her scepter and deflect the incoming object which proved to be a throwing knife.

Narrowing her eyes, she spotted a young woman dressed in a black cloak, a number of throwing knives between her fingers. "Well drat. You're sharper than I thought." She spoke with a crooked smile.

"Who are you?" Maleficent demanded, a green mist surrounding her free hand to prepare herself for the girl's next attack.

"Doesn't matter really. Stefan sends you his worst. Ta-ta!" The girl replied in a snarky manner before she vanished into a dark portal. Her words triggering anger and hatred within Maleficent. Was Stefan working with outsiders to assassinate her? First Naruto and the King's progeny turned up and now this girl that attempted to take her life, it could not be a coincidence. Growling angrily, Maleficent slammed her staff down as green colored lightning filled the skies above her with black thunder clouds rumbling ominously.

 **With Naruto and Rose.**

"That doesn't look good." The whiskered teen muttered, once again feeling a sense of anger and hatred filling the atmosphere around them, while Rose quickly wrote her letter to her aunts before tying it to Diaval's leg. The crow cawed and flew off to deliver her letter, allowing the girl to join up with her fellow blonde, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I agree. Something's wrong. Something has gone very wrong." She replied to her friend… then a series of roots exploded from the ground, surrounding them as a cage formed, trapping the Jinchuuriki inside before they could even register what had happened.

"Hey! What gives?! Lemme outta here!" Naruto shouted as he summoned his Keyblade to start hacking at his cage, only for the roots to grow back faster than he could cut them away with Rose trying to help but pulling them apart, but they refused to budge. They stopped when they heard heavy footsteps approaching and then Maleficent herself came out from the trees, surrounded by an entourage of her guards. The Horned Fairy glaring at them hard as she spoke "You never told me there was a third person."

Both blondes glanced at one another before turning back to the Dark Fairy with Naruto answering back "What third person? The girl in the fox mask?" The confusion was evident in both his face and voice making the horned woman's face relax a little bit.

"You didn't know." She spoke matter of factly, tapping her fingers against the green bauble on her staff for a moment before she continued to speak "Just moments ago, on my way to seal the hole in my borders, someone attempted to assassinate me. A girl with blonde hair, wearing a black cloak."

At the mentioning of a black cloak, the Jinchuuriki immediately grew suspicious of the fact that Organization XIII was involved. The look of realization on his face made the Dark Fairy ask "Does that mean something to you?"

"Maybe. If this person is involved with the people I'm thinking of… then we're all in big trouble." He replied in a warning tone, earning a slow nod from the Dark Fairy.

"I see… regardless of the case, Stefan continues to push me. So now I shall push back. HARD. You're coming with me girl." The horned woman spoke and grabbed Rose by the wrist, pulling her to her side.

"Hey! Let her go! She's got nothing to do with this!" The Jinchuuriki demanded, his keyblade swinging wildly as he tried to cut his way free.

"That's where you're wrong. The girl has everything to do with this. We'll see how the King reacts when I use his daughter for leverage." Maleficent spoke with a sly expression on her face, her words stunning the two blondes, most of all poor Rose who could scarcely believe what she had just heard.

"His daughter? Me? Stefan's daughter? THAT CAN'T BE TRUE! I CAN'T BE THE DAUGHTER OF SUCH AN AWFUL PERSON!" Rose shouted out in denial as she tried to pull herself free from Maleficent's hand which proved useless since her grip was like a vice.

"Can you still forgive me?" Maleficent asked in a blank tone as she stared at Rose's face who could only stammer and babble, unable to form a coherent response or a legible sentence. "As I thought." The Horned Fairy responded coldly.

She then sighed and continued to speak "We shall be marching to Stefan's castle. I'll decide on your fate later boy. Behave yourself and I might let you return to wherever it is you came from."

At her words, the whiskered teen spoke in an almost desperate voice "Don't do this! You're being manipulated! The Organization is banking on on your feud with Stefan! If you escalate this war, you're going to be doing what they want!" He shouted in an attempt to warn her.

"Too late. This war was an inevitability. It won't be the first time a Human king has attempted to do harm to the Moors. I hope Stefan will be the last." She spoke in a grave tone as the Fairy Queen walked away with a despondent Rose in tow, her guards following close behind her with heavy footsteps.

"DAMN IT!" Naruto shouted in rage, wildly chopping away at his cage in anger. But no matter how much of the roots he cut apart, more and more just kept growing back within seconds. He panted tiredly as he put his hands to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He then got an idea and reached into his pocket and pulled out his Gummiphone, realizing he could call his master for help, or warn her about what was going to happen soon.

He grumbled as he fiddled around with the different buttons as he attempted to figure out how to call his new teacher… that is until the Gummiphone flew out of his hand with a throwing knife in its back. "Naughty boy. Can't have you calling that Keyblade master of yours." Spoke an unfamiliar female voice with a saucy grin on her face, the black cloak she wore being a definite match to the ones Zero and Axel wore in the Pridelands.

"Organization XIII. I knew it." He muttered angrily while the blonde girl sat on a nearby rock with one leg crossed over the other.

"The boss said not to be seen. Buuuut, I figured that was pointless since you'd probably catch wind our group was responsible anyway. Names Larxene. You must be that kid that Axel mentioned from the Pridelands. Naruto, right?" She asked at the end, earning a stiff nod from the boy.

"Yeah. That's me. What the hell do you think you're doing by triggering a war like that?" He demanded, kicking his foot against the floor of his cage in frustration.

"Hey. Boss's orders. If the big Boss, Zero wants me to trigger a war. I do it. Then I get to sit back and watch the show as all those idiots tear at one another. This whole Moors Vs Humans thing? It's all bull. The last king? He wanted to conquer the Moors to leave behind some kind of legacy, and for its riches. This war? Right here? It's a grudge match between some Wannabe king and a Broken hearted wingless Fairy. It's all a sick joke. This was all going to happen sooner or later. It would all come to a boil at some point. I just helped move things war? No way in hell could a greenhorn like you could have stopped it." Larxene ranted on with some sadistic glee to her voice.

"Maybe… Maybe not. Anything could have happened… but it didn't have to be like this. I don't know how… but I can't let Maleficent sink to Stefan's level, and I can't let Stefan get away with all of this either. When I get out of here, I'll end this whole thing with my own two hands!" He shouted with determination in his voice, glaring hard at the blonde girl who could only laugh at him.

"Hahaha! You're a real funny kid. Tell you what, I kinda like you. If you submit to me as my slave, I might just let you out of your cage." She spoke in a slightly mocking tone, lacing her fingers together as she waited for his response. But had a strong feeling he was going to say 'no'.

"Piss off you crazy bitch! And tell your friend with the Fox mask that I'll beat her crazy ass too! She goddamn set me up and I know it!" He shouted and then flipped her off, but he then tilted his head when he noticed that Larxene had a strangely dumbstruck expression on her face.

"Fox… mask..?" She muttered and scratched at her head, her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to remember why that sounded familiar to her. It was on the tip of her tongue… but her mind was a thick fog. Finally she sighed and replied back "Whatever kid. Don't say I didn't offer you a lifeline. Anyways, I'm gonna be off to watch Stefan and the Wingless wonder tear each other apart. Maybe we'll see each other again." With that, she waved goodbye and vanished into a dark portal.

Leaving Naruto to wonder how he was going to escape from his prison. Right now… if he was going to save his friends like before… he was going to need a little help. He growled a bit for a moment, and then roared out to the skies in anger, hoping that someone… anyone… could hear him.

 **The Pridelands.**

Mufasa chuckled as he watched both Nala and Simba practice fighting, both of them trying to get stronger so they could be 'Awesome Ninjas' like their friend Naruto. All of a sudden, his ears perked up as he thought he heard the rage filled cries of his young friend, making him look out towards the plains of his kingdom. His eyes scanning the terrain for any signs of the man-cub.

"Something wrong old friend?" Spoke the form of Rafiki as he approached the king, gently touching him on the shoulder with a look of concern.

"I don't know. I thought I heard Naruto… like he was in some kind of trouble." The king answered back in a somewhat distracted manner as he continued searching for the young hero that helped save his family and kingdom.

"Hrm… it is said that those who share a strong enough bond can sense when they are in peril or in pain. Even across great distances. Perhaps your young friends heart is calling out for help?" Rafiki spoke, offering some sage like advice to his long time friend.

The King closed his eyes and sighed, wondering how he could help his friend. Then his ears perked up when he heard a small whisper on the winds 'May your heart be your guiding key' it said. He looked around again, trying to find the source of these strange words. But he saw no one was out there.

"May your heart… be your guiding… key…" He muttered to himself wondering what these words meant… it may be some kind of clue. "Naruto… wherever you are. If you can hear my voice… be strong. Our hearts are connected. And remember, you are never alone."

 **End chapter.**

 **A/N: Sorry for the delays. I have been trying to get back on track. Fortunately, I have had a bit more free time to write. On a side note, My Birthday just passed by. Thanks very much for your patience, and please leave lots of reviews and feedback. It's always a help and encouragement.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Not much to say here. Just please leave lots of reviews and feedback. They're a great encouragement as always, and very much appreciated. And as always, I'm sorry for the late update.**

 **Big thanks to Beta Reader. Kenchi Narukami.**

 **Chapter eight: Darkness rising! Naruto's desperate struggle! (Sleeping Beauty/ Maleficent arc. Part three.)**

"Damn it! Damn it!" Naruto shouted as he continued his efforts to cut through his cage, but it still proved useless since the damned roots just kept growing back again, no matter how many times he cut through. Sighing in frustration, he knew that he wouldn't be getting out of here without some help, and he had no means to call his master since his Gummiphone had been destroyed earlier by that Larxene girl.

He hoped that Rose was okay, it must have been a shock for her to learn that she was actually a princess and daughter to that bastard Stefan. He doubted that Maleficent would hurt Rose but… anything could happen once the fighting started.

"Seems you're in trouble now." Spoke a female voice, when he looked up he saw the fox masked girl from earlier. A deep frown forming on his face, a strong urge to strangle this girl bubbling up inside of him.

"You! You set me up! You're with Organization XIII, aren't you?!" He shouted and pointed an accusatory finger at her. In response, the girl raised up a lone finger and wagged it from side to side, making 'tsk tsk' noises followed by a small giggle.

"It's not nice to wildly accuse people of something without proper evidence. I had nothing to do with what that girl did." The fox masked girl responded with a small smile and began circling around the whiskered teen's cage much like a vulture, with her hands clasped behind her back.

"I have a hard time believing that! Just who the hell do you think you are?" He demanded angrily, his eyes never leaving her form.

"Who am I? Who am I? I'm the loser of the game, you didn't know you were playing. Call me Ava, nice to meet you… again." She replied back with a serene smile, her laidback and cheerful personality irking the blonde even more. Though her statement confused him a bit.

"Game? What game are you talking about?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a bit.

Ava merely smiled and replied back "Too soon for that information I'm afraid. But as a consolation prize, I'll tell you something good. Long ago, all the realms were unified in a single existence. One entire realm made up of smaller ones, like puzzle pieces forming a whole. It wasn't until the Keyblade wars that the realms were split apart. The reason for this war? Well… that's a story for another time."

"What does all of that have to do with anything?" Naruto asked, having many more questions than answers since this girl seemed to delight in multiplying his confusion.

"Everything. Those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it. Ta-ta for now. I look forward to seeing how this whole thing plays out. The help you need should be arriving soon. I look forward to seeing what Fate has in store for you." The fox masked girl spoke before vanishing into thin air making the whiskered teen sigh in frustration once more… until he heard the flapping of wings and the cawing of a crow.

He looked up and saw the form of Diaval perched on a branch, looking down at the boy's cage inquisitively. Floating next to him were three different fairies, each having a red, green, and blue color scheme to them. "What's going on here? Where is Rose?" The red fairy ask, making Naruto believe she might be the apparent leader of the trio.

"Maybe we should start with freeing this boy first so he can fill us in." Suggested the blue one, who took some initiative by waving her wand, causing the roots to recede back into the earth, freeing the whiskered Blonde from his prison. "That's better. I am Merryweather, and they are Flora and Fauna. We're Rose's guardians. We got her letter from and came to investigate as fast as our wings allowed." The Blue fairy explained to the boy.

"Appreciate the assist. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Now listen, we don't have much time to dick around. Maleficent has been tricked into escalating her war with King Stefan and she took Rose with her as a hostage. We gotta go after them before shit hits the fan." Naruto spoke, summing up the previous events for them making their eyes widen to the size of saucers at the unexpected news.

"Things are far worse than we feared. We must make for the castle with all haste!" Flora yelled out and sipped off leaving behind a trail of pink dust from her wings… only to stop when she realized her fellow companions weren't following her. Fauna and Merryweather glanced over at the whiskered boy with the former asking "What about him? We could use his help. Our magic is no match for Maleficent's powers."

"I don't think that is wise. It is because of HIM that Rose is in this situation." Flora protested with a scowl using her wand to point at the blonde.

"How could he have known? It's not all his fault. We should have told Rose sooner about the curse and Maleficent!" Merryweather spit back angrily and then the two began bickering back and forth with one another with Fauna, the green fairy seemingly stuck in the middle trying to calm her companions.

Both Naruto and Diaval glanced at each other and shook their heads in dismay, sighing in frustration the Jinchuuriki shouted out "Both of you shut up already!" At his shout, the two Fairies fell silent and looked in his direction, allowing to finally get a word in as he spoke "Can we save the arguing and the blame game for AFTER we help Rose? If yes, can you make Diaval here big enough for me to ride on so we can fly back to Stefan's castle?"

After a few moments Flora replied "Very well. Rose spoke… very fondly of you in her letter. I suppose we'll need all the help we can get if we want to stop Maleficent."

"Stefan is the real bad guy here. Maleficent's a victim of his greed and ambition. Now come on already! We're wasting time!" The blonde shouted at the end, prompting the three fairies to turn their wands towards the crow who clenched up, preparing himself for what would come next. He was used to his mistress changing him into all different shapes and forms, changing sizes? That should be a cinch. The crow knew that this Hatchling was perhaps the only hope of keeping his Mistress safe from harm, and perhaps most importantly… herself.

Naruto took a deep breath and glanced off in the general direction of Stefan's castle. Silently hoping and praying there was still time to fix this. He just hoped that Rose and his master Aqua were all okay.

 **Elsewhere. Traverse town.**

Aqua stared down at her Gummiphone, having attempted to call her student to check on him for the umpteenth time. Obviously something must have gone wrong and she was very worried about him. But an urgent meeting called by King Mickey couldn't be ignored either. She could only hope that she was worrying over nothing since she had never taught Naruto how to use his own phone.

Barely even a teacher for more than two days now and she'd failed to teach him the bare basics. What a great start. Her musing was interrupted when a glass filled with some kind of alcoholic beverage was placed in front of her by a woman in a glittering ruby dress "You seemed rather stressed, I thought you could use something to take the edge off." She spoke, the woman in question being Jessica Rabbit, the owner of the Rabbit Hole bar and restaurant that Aqua was currently waiting inside.

The bluenette didn't often drink, but right now, she just wanted to find some kind of relief for the tightening knot in her stomach. "Thanks." The Keyblade master muttered as she drank the beverage, the burning sensation of alcohol going down her throat.

"Guy trouble, darling?" Jessica asked as she took a seat across from Aqua in the booth and laced her fingers together, gently resting her chin on top of her gloved hands.

"Not the kind you're thinking of. I just got a new student. Young, eager, seems kind of reckless at times, but a good heart. I am worried right now." Aqua explained briefly, making the redhead nod slowly in understanding, easily seeing how tense the Keyblade master was.

After their brief conversation, a new voice joined in "Master Aqua, thanks for coming on such short notice." The Bluenette easily recognized the voice belonging to King Mickey, who took a seat next to her, causing Jessica to realize it was time to give them a little privacy as she went off to make sure that her husband wasn't getting into any undue mischief.

"Can we please make this quick? My student is all alone now, and I haven't heard back from him." Aqua almost begged, her form almost ready to launch itself out of her seat to head back to the realm of Sleeping Beauty.

"Of course. You see the thing is… Ansem the Wise has been kidnapped." Mickey explained to the bluenette making her eyes widen at the unexpected news.

"Ansem? But… wasn't he with you earlier?" Aqua asked, wondering how this could have happened. Though she suspected that Organization XIII was the most likely culprit for this.

"He was, but he needed to go back home to Radiant Garden. When he arrived at his lab, he was taken against his will according to his assistant. Though I think you and I both have our suspicions about who may be responsible. The Organization's movements are becoming far bolder in the past few weeks. They are definitely up to something, and they needed Ansem for it I bet." The King explained with a frown, wondering for what purpose they needed his friend for, though it likely pertained to his research on the Heartless, or maybe something else they don't know about. The Organization isn't very forthcoming about their motives after all.

"I see… I'll help you find him, but first we need to find my student. I… I don't want him to vanish like Terra and Ventus did." Aqua spoke, making the king nod in understanding as they got up from their seats.

"Understood. We'll find Naruto first, then we can all work together in finding Ansem." Mickey readily agreed as they both vanished in a small flash of light. Though unknown to them, things were already spinning out of control, and not just in the realm of Sleeping Beauty.

 **Outside King Stefan's Castle.**

The horned figure of Maleficent sighed deeply as she gripped her staff. For many long years she had watched Stefan's castle from afar, the first and only time she had ever set foot within those walls had been when she cursed the Princess Aurora. She had felt a certain sense of satisfaction as her enemy wallowed in fear and paranoia… she should have known that sooner or later this day would come.

And now, she was here to put an end to what Stefan had started so many years ago. She growled softly as she sensed something within the castle walls she hadn't felt the last time she came here. She could feel something dark and powerful hidden within the Castle walls… just what had Stefan been up to all this time? Had he begun dabbling in black magic? While she doubted it since her former romantic interest had no magical capabilities, it was possible he had someone in his employ that could. And with each passing second, she could tell that dark power was growing ever stronger.

Her musing was broken when the princess herself approached her, and spoke "Maleficent, I beg of you. Don't do this. You'll be bringing harm to innocents, human and fairy alike." The blonde girl pleaded once again attempting to dissuade the Dark Fairy from her current course of action.

"I'm afraid it is far too late for that. Stefan will not stop until I am destroyed, and who knows if it will stop there? He may continue to attack the Moors and hunt down all fairy kind to extinction if he isn't stopped. I have no choice but to put an end to what he started all those years ago. This war ends. Today." Maleficent spoke in a dismissive manner, though she was impressed that the girl hadn't yet bothered to try some form of escape and instead seemed determined to make her change her mind. The horned Fairy's eyes flicked to the side as she noticed Balthazar and his followers were now surrounding the castle, soon there would be no way for Stefan or his troops to get out.

"What about the innocent people still inside? They have nothing to do with this! Would you condemn them for what Stefan himself did?" Aurora once again pleaded, though this time her words seemed to reach the Dark Fairy as she pursed her lips. Maleficent knew that Stefan was the real threat, and his soldiers were the ones following his orders. But there was still innocent people inside, women, children, and other non-combatants that posed no threat to her. And she would not force them to suffer because of the sins of a corrupt king. Still… now that she thought about it, she does have an opportunity to speak with Stefan for one last time.

"Come with me girl." Maleficent spoke as she slowly marched towards the castle gates with the princess following close behind her. As they approached the gates, the clanking of armor could be heard as a number of Soldiers lined up on the ramparts, aiming their crossbows at the Horned woman who could only smirk at their attempt at defiance. "Stefan? I know you're in there. Come on down. Let us speak. Ruler to ruler." She called out towards the castle, after a few moments, her former lover appeared dressed in full armor as he stared down at her with a sneer.

"So, you finally decided to go on the offensive eh Maleficent? I knew you'd come here someday! And I won't be coming down! I won't be tricked into whatever trap you're planning!" He shouted from above, though whether he was being wise or paranoid at the moment was anyone's guess since her magic could easily make short work of him. But she had another idea at the moment. She wanted Stefan to pay for what he did. And killing him would be too great a kindness for her liking.

"No tricks or traps Stefan. I have your daughter here with me." Maleficent responded as she gestured to the girl at her side, prompting the king to squint his eyes as he looked at the girl in question who indeed bore a strong resemblance to his late wife. The king bit his lip for a moment and reluctantly announced that he would be coming down. After a few moments, the castle gates opened with a loud creak as the King himself marched out with a contingent of guards following close behind him, making the Fairy shake her head a bit since the tin men wouldn't be of any threat to her.

Stefan inhaled shakily, as though he were trying everything in his power to maintain his composure as he stood in the presence of Maleficent, the very creature he feared most in all the world. The horned Fairy took some sadistic delight in seeing her nemesis squirm, but first came official business. "How gracious of you to accept my invitation." She spoke in a slightly mocking tone.

"Because you strong-armed me into doing so. Now what do you want?" He demanded, keeping his hand on the handle of his sword the whole time. A soft hiss sound escaping Maleficent's lips as she gripped her scepter tightly until she relaxed her grip again and kept her face a blank mask.

"What I desire most is for you to be dragged through the mud and whipped like an animal and then cast into the deepest and darkest hole in the world. But for now, I offer you this, you have one hour to evacuate the small folk out of your castle. Those who stay and die, will be your responsibility Stefan. Those who leave will not be harmed. I give you my word." She promised while in the background the princess Aurora gave a deep sigh of relief seeing that the Dark Fairy still retained a sense of compassion.

"And what is the word of a Witch good for?" The king asked with a snarl, making Maleficent chuckle a bit.

"I may be a lot of things, but I am no liar. Twas not I that began this feud nor this long standing enmity between the Humans and Fairies." She spoke in a matter of fact tone as she wagged her finger from side to side while making 'tsk tsk' sounds.

"I spared your life. I could have killed you that night. And you repaid me by cursing my child." The king pointed out and gestured to his daughter, who seemed to be unsure whether or not it would be a good idea to step in, so for the moment, she remained silent.

"Oh Stefan. Killing me would have actually been a mercy. At least then I wouldn't be forced to feel that deep nagging pain with every beat of my heart. And I intend to drag you off your throne, one way, or another. You have but one hour before I call for my troops to attack, make it count. But once we begin, not even the dark magic in your castle will protect you." She promised him with a low grow, but then she noticed that the king had a puzzled expression on his face.

"Dark magic?" He mumbled in confusion, but then shaked his head and mumbled something about it being 'another trick' before he retreated inside his castle once more with his guards trailing close behind as the gates closed. Even over the walls they could hear the King announce that the peasants and servants had an hour to leave the castle while both Maleficent and Aurora rejoined the line of tree like creatures who all patiently awaited Maleficent's orders.

"You're still here." Maleficent noted since the girl could have easily retreated into her father's castle after their little exchange. The princess pursing her lips a bit and then said something that Maleficent hadn't expected "I forgive you."

"Excuse me?" The horned Fairy asked in surprise, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. Aurora took a deep breath and spoke "I stand by what I said before. Hatred is like a poison. And King Stefan my… father… is a bad man. And I believe he should be punished for it, but I don't want the hatred between our people to continue on like this. If the king is defeated… maybe there will be a chance for the future if we work together towards it."

Once the Princess finished speaking, she gave a small yet sincere smile as she extended a hand to the Fairy queen. Maleficent smirked a little as she asked "Interesting. But are you merely telling me what you think I wish to hear so that I may lift the curse I set upon you?" The Dark Fairy asked cautiously since the last time she had trusted a human, her wings were taken from her. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

The Princess didn't even hesitate to reply back "My curse is the last thing on my mind right now. Someone who becomes a ruler by betraying friends and loved ones doesn't deserve the throne." Aurora answered with almost brutal honesty, which made the Horned Fairy almost giggle. Sensing that the girl was far too pure to ever tell a lie.

"Humans willing to let go of any personal vendettas for the sake of others are exceptionally rare. If there were more of your kind… maybe the world would be better for it." Maleficent spoke with a rare smile filled with warmth on her face and shook the blonde girl's hand, deciding to make peace with the daughter of her mortal enemy for the sake of the future. Once their hands had met, the ground shook beneath them as they turned to the Castle, the walls surrounding it rumbling and cracking while screams of panic could be heard inside.

"Maleficent?" Aurora asked as she turned to the Horned Fairy. Why was she attacking the castle now?! The hour wasn't up yet for the evacuees. However, the princess took notice that the Dark Fairy was just as perplexed and confused as she was.

"This is not of my doing. Something is awakening within the castle." She explained as she sensed the dark power she had detected earlier growing stronger by the minute. If she was correct… then perhaps there was something far more dangerous than Stefan inside the castle. Then, just as quickly as it started thue rumbling came to a halt and subsided, making the two wonder what the source was to begin with.

After a few moments of silence, the Fairy spoke "It seems that it is safe for now. I can sense dark power building inside of the castle. I believe Stefan may be attempting to access power beyond his control." She theorized, though she couldn't help but wonder when, where, and how the King had found something like this. If this strange power reached full strength, then she doubted that even she could stop it with her full power.

"MAAAAAATTEEEEEEE!" Shouted a familiar voice from above causing the two to look up and spot the form of Naruto riding on the back of an enlarged Diaval, the raven cawing out to his mistress as they landed on the ground. The blonde boy waving at the two as he spoke "Thank Kami you're okay! Has the fighting started yet?! Am I too late?!" he asked in a rapid fire manner as he hopped off Diaval's back, with the three good fairies floating behind him as he approached the princess and Dark Fairy.

Aurora smiled warmly as she thrust her arms out and embraced him in a hug, planting several kisses on his cheeks, much to the boy's surprise though he made no protest to the affection. Maleficent gave a crooked smile as she spoke "Ah. You escaped. With some help I see." She gestured to the three Good Fairies with a smirk with Merryweather looking almost ready to charge and attack the Horned woman all on her own while her two counterparts held her back from doing something stupid.

With a mere gesture, she changed Diaval back to his normal size, allowing him to fly up and perch onto her shoulder with ease as she turned towards the whiskered teen "You're not too late. In fact your princess has convinced me to offer the humans a reprieve. I have allowed them an hour to evacuate anyone who doesn't wish to fight."

"That's mighty kind of you Maleficent." The whiskered teen pointed out with a small smile, glad that she wasn't completely beyond reason. Though he did find something strange… both Maleficent and King Stefan were now at each other's throats… so why weren't any Heartless appearing? Something strange was going on. But at the moment, he had other things to worry about.

"Perhaps. It is Stefan whom I bear a grudge towards. The rest need not suffer the sins of a single man." Maleficent spoke which gave the Keyblade user an idea.

"Hey. Maleficent? What if I beat up Stefan for you?" He offered with a cheeky grin, causing Maleficent to cock an eyebrow as her grip tightened around her scepter.

"Excuse me?" The Dark Fairy asked as she tilted her head to the side, finding the boy's offer rather intriguing. What was going on in that little head of his? He smirked as he replied back to her "You just said that Stefan's the one you're holding a grudge against. If I take him down, there won't be anymore need for fighting. Right?"

At his words, the red fairy Flora seemed appalled and horrified by what he was suggesting and shouted "Nononono! You can't just go into the Castle and do harm to the king!" At that, the boy glared daggers at the Red Fairy and spit back "Why the hell not? It's Stefan's fault that Maleficent lost her way when he cut off her wings. Anyone that betrays their friends and loved ones doesn't have any right to be king!"

With his piece said, the boy sprinted off towards the castle to put this ongoing feud to rest, with both Aurora and Maleficent smiling at both Naruto's enthusiasm and his strong and just heart. "Well… this will be interesting. If he fulfills his promise, bloodshed may yet be avoided." The blonde Princess spoke with a small giggle with the Dark Fairy slowly nodding in agreement, a small part of the Latter wishing she had met people like Naruto and Aurora much sooner in life. Maybe then, things would not be as they are. But this was not the time for past regrets, the only thing that truly mattered now… was the future.

 **Elsewhere.**

Atop the towers of King Stefan's castle, Larxene quietly watched the ongoing chaos as the numerous Civilians were being assembled to be evacuated. She sneered a bit as she was hoping to see more violence and mayhem and she didn't like to wait either. However something interesting did happen, when the ground rumbled and quaked earlier, something seemed ready to burst out from the ground within the main courtyard.

The guards surrounded the unidentified object in question as King Stefan seemed to be either barking orders or ranting about Maleficent and her witchcraft. From what she could see… the object in question appeared to be some kind of… black box?

The blonde Nobody quietly hummed to herself a bit and then heard a chime in her pocket, guessing that her boss was calling her for a progress report. Taking her communicator from her pocket, she clicked on a button and heard the Voice of Zero as she suspected "Report Larxene. What's happening on your assignment?"

Larxene giggled a bit and answered back "Well boss, both Maleficent and Stefan are ready to tear each other to pieces. But something weird's going on. Some kind of Black box has appeared in Stefan's castle."

After a few moments of silence Zero asked "A Black Box? Are you certain?" The Savage Nymph was surprised by the boss sudden interest and voiced her confirmation. Even at this distance, the Blonde Nobody could see plain as day that it was indeed some kind of Box, and it was definitely black in color.

"Larxene. Change in plans. No matter the cost, get me that box and its contents. Do not fail me." Zero spoke in a serious tone that showed they weren't fooling around, if she did fail… it was likely that the boss would reduce her to ash, and she didn't fancy the idea of being wiped from existence via one of Zero's 'Hakkai's'

The knife wielder hanged up and pocketed her communicator. If Zero wanted that box, then the boss would get it. She would need to get past all those guards first, but she doubted that they'd be any trouble for her… especially with some of her throwing knives were planted in their throats. But it'd still be a hassle to deal with all of them. Before she could make her move, she spotted some movement out of the corner of her eye and saw a familiar figure carefully scaling over the castle walls. It was that blonde kid Naruto, obviously having escaped from captivity.

If he was sneaking into the castle… he was probably after the king himself. This would make for a decent enough distraction. For the time being she would continue to wait and let the whiskered cutie thin out the opposition, and when the time was right, she would slip in and steal that box when no one was looking. It was actually rather enjoyable to let others do all the work for her.

Still… what was so special about that box? Maybe the boss knew something about it that she didn't. She would certainly look forward to finding out. And even from this distance, she could tell it was radiating power.

"STEEEEEFAN! WHERE ARE YOU YA ASSHOLE?!" Shouted the form of Naruto, his words echoing across the castle, alerting the King and his guard as they looked around for the source of the voice. In the courtyard, the blonde appeared and pointed an accusatory finger at the corrupt king himself as he stood near the Black box. "There you are! I found you! You're gonna pay for everything you've done ya bastard!"

The king glowered at the boy as he placed a hand on his sword "And what do you think you're doing boy? I thought you and your master were here to aid me." He spoke with a snarl and then pointed towards the box behind him and continued to speak "Look! See what the witch has conjured in my castle!"

The blonde glanced over to the box, feeling a dark and powerful aura coming off of it, it's energy reminding him of the Heartless he fought back in the Pridelands proving there was something off about it, but for now his priority was Stefan. "I'll deal with that in a minute… after I'm done with you! You ever tell anyone how you became king? Or what your obsession with Maleficent is all about? You tell them you were both romantically involved once? That you cut off her wings so that you'd be king? That this ongoing war with the realm of the Fairies is still happening because of a feud you started?"

At the boy's words, some of Stefan's soldiers glanced at their king in suspicion since they remembered seeing their king sitting in a trophy room, speaking to a large set of wings in a trophy case. A set of wings far too large to belong to any normal bird. And most often those one-sided conversations seemed to involve Maleficent in some way. "Seize him!" The King barked out, pointing towards the Jinchuuriki. The blonde summoned his Keyblade in case the soldiers attacked, but none had yet to make a move against him.

"But… your majesty…he's only a boy." A random soldier spoke up, with many of his brothers-in-arms murmuring their agreements, all of them now feeling reluctant to take orders from a potentially mad king.

"A boy? A BOY?! He's now the servant of the witch! The mistress of all Evil!" Stefan shouted angrily and slammed his hand down on the lid of the Black box as he continued to shout "Even this box should be proof that…" The king tried to speak out but his voice seemingly died in his throat as his body tensed up. He made some choking noises as he started to stand on his tip toes.

His face grew paler by the second and his hair started turning white, his eyes becoming a milky color as well. As time passed, all watched in apt horror as Stefan's flesh rotted off his face within the span of a few seconds until his body turned to nothing but dust, causing numerous screams to be heard followed by a loud crash as the gates were opened, allowing the Civilians to retreat, being escorted by the soldiers who followed with them now that the king was dead, leaving Naruto as the sole occupant in the courtyard with the box.

He swallowed dryly as he clenched tightly around his Keyblade, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as the lid of the Black Box blasted off as a pillar of black and purple flames erupted from within the box. All at once the familiar forms of the Heartless began spilling out as well as they gathered around the box as though they were guarding it, and a number of them began to pile atop one another, as if forming a set of makeshift stairs in front of it. From the pillar of flames, came the form of a woman with blonde hair and caramel colored skin, her arms beneath her impressive bust them seemed almost ready to explode from her top as she casually stepped one the backs of the gathered Heartless.

"A Keyblade Wielder? I might have suspected. What Union do you represent?" She asked in an even tone, her covered face and stoic voice making it difficult to read her. But if she was somehow involved with the Heartless, she was likely a threat. However… the Jinchuuriki wasn't getting any threatening vibes off of her, for the moment at least.

"Union? What're you talking about? My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Just who are you? What happened to Stefan?" The blonde boy asked as he pointed his blade at the unknown woman, demanding answers from her since he hadn't expected… this to happen.

The caramel skinned woman quietly hmmed to herself as she brushed aside a lock of her hair before answering "It seems I was locked away for far longer than I realized. Tis of no matter. If I am correct then this 'Stefan' you speak of touched my box, yes? The seal on my box requires the sacrifice of a Heart mired in Darkness to be broken so that I and my brethren may be freed. Once he touched it, the seal absorbed his heart and life essence." She explained and then slowly drew a sword from her back that seemed to have been hollowed out for some unknown reason.

"I bear you no grudge Keyblade wielder, but it is my wish to test my power against yours. I am Tia Halibel, I represent the Arcana of the Hanged Man." She spoke cooly as she pointed her blade towards the boy. As soon as he blinked his eyes, she had vanished from his sight, he tried to search for her as his gaze darted about… and then he felt a foot planted on his back sending him flying across the courtyard.

He skidded across the ground and then used the momentum to roll onto his feet, to regain his balance. He he stood up again, he saw that Halibel was now towering over him, looking down at him with a cold and steely gaze. With a war cry he began to swing his blade at her, only to be casually blocked by her sword. Sparks flew about as the blades clashed, but the blonde was not easily deterred as he continued to swing his Keyblade with increasing speed and ferocity, but with each blow he sent to his opponent, Halibel would easily deflect it with ease.

He lunged forward only for her to slide a leg forward and easily tripped him, sending him to the ground. He tried to scramble back to his feet but a swift kick to his ribs sent him back down, and then a foot was planted on the back of his neck. "It seems the quality of KeyBlade wielders has diminished over the years. Such a pity." She spoke in a sympathetic tone. The boy knew that this woman was far above him in terms of skill, as he was now… he couldn't hope to defeat her. He knew he was outmatched.

Tia grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up so that their eyes would meet, her blade pointed at his chest as she spoke "It would not be honorable to kill an inferior and defenseless opponent. Do you wish to continue a fruitless fight? Or will you surrender?" She asked him and tilted her head to the side.

Before he had the chance to answer another voice cut in and spoke "Put him down. Now." Both blondes looked in the direction of the new voice and found Maleficent glaring at the mysterious woman as a dark green aura of flames surrounded the Horned Fairy.

"Mmm. You're a strong looking one. Very well then, I have no interest in bullying children." Tia muttered as she casually tossed the boy aside and squared off against the Mistress of Evil herself.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Maleficent asked as green flames appeared in the palm of her hand. Already sensing this woman wasn't yet using her full power, did she herself stand a chance against this unknown threat.

"I am Tia Halibel, of the Hanged Man Arcana. And what do I want? Mmm. That is an interesting question." She answered, and then vanished from sight once Maleficent blinked her eyes.

"Watch out! She's lightning fast!" Naruto called out to warn the Dark Fairy, who smirked a bit then brought up her scepter blocking an incoming strike from Halibel's sword. "Don't trust everything your eyes see child. The trick isn't to see your opponent's movements, but to sense them. Now pick up your weapon and fight!" Maleficent shouted as she conjured a sword made of flames from her hand and attempted to slash at the blonde woman's throat.

Tia leaned back and avoided the strike, allowing Naruto to take the opportunity to summon his Keyblade back to his hand as he dashed forward to attack the blonde woman from behind. Sensing the incoming strike, Tia broke off from Maleficent and performed a backflip over the blonde, causing him to almost slam into Maleficent, but he managed to stop in time as he spun around on his heel and swung his blade in the Blonde woman's direction who blocked his blade in time.

"Now things are getting a little more interesting. It seems you draw strength from those around you." Halibel commented quietly as their blades were locked together, the boy saw a strange shimmer in her eyes as she shoved him back and leapt up in the air, avoid a series of thorny vines that were attempting to wrap around her legs to cut off her movement, but that trick failed making Maleficent click her tongue in annoyance.

"Too slow I'm afraid." Tia spoke softly as she smoothly landed a short distance away as she gazed at them in a somewhat aloof manner.

"She's not even taking us seriously." Naruto commented with a small glare as his horned ally nodded her head in agreement. It seemed that this mystery woman was more interested in testing out her strength than actually fighting seriously.

" **Thundaga!"** Came the shout of a female voice that Naruto recognized as Aqua's, her shout causing bolts of lightning to rain down on the ground around Halibel who leapt side stepped them all with apparent ease. Both Aqua and Mickey appeared with their Keyblades at the ready as they faced off against the unknown woman, who now seemed somewhat annoyed by their presence.

"Sorry we're so late! Just what is going on here?" Mickey asked Naruto to get a handle on the situation.

"Long story. That weird woman called Halibel was trapped in some kind of Black Box with the Heartless, and Stefan accidentally freed her when the box absorbed his heart and life force." The Jinchuuriki quickly surmised for King Mickey.

"I see. Then we had better take her down then." Aqua noted, earning a soft chuckle from the Caramel skinned woman who sheathed her blade and crossed her arms beneath her bust, surprising them all.

"There's no need for any of that. I wished to test my strength, and I have. I have no reason to trample on those beneath me. You, boy… you are Naruto Uzumaki, correct? I can sense latent power sleeping within you. I look forward to the day you awaken it. Until that day, the Arcana shall await for you." Tia spoke and then snapped her fingers, summoning a portal of Darkness that she entered followed swiftly by the Heartless as they vanished into the shadows, leaving only the box behind as the only evidence they had even been there.

"Arcana?" Aqua asked out of confusion, wondering what in the hell was going on. "It seems we have more than one problem emerging." The bluenette muttered as her Keyblade vanished, no longer sensing the presence of the Heartless.

"Indeed. But we can worry about that later." Mickey spoke as he too made his Keyblade disappear, with the two masters turning towards Naruto who could only rub the back of his head sheepishly and mutter "I… I really made a mess of things didn't I?" He spoke ashamedly, feeling as though he'd failed his teacher. Aqua merely shook her head and knelt down, taking the boy in a warm embrace as she hugged him.

"I'm just glad you're safe. I was worried about you." She spoke, which made him relax in her arms as he smiled and returned the hug. Happy to see his teacher again.

"How very touching." Maleficent spoke with a small chuckle, while she was disappointed that she didn't get the chance to end Stefan herself… at least she had the knowledge that he was now gone from this world and would never bother her again. As this went on, Aurora came running inside to see if everyone was all right now that the dust had settled and was glad to see that the whiskered teen was all right.

She saw him in the embrace of another woman with blue her, sending a deep pang of jealousy in her heart for some reason, but wasn't sure why… did she… have feelings for him? Why? She had barely even known him for that long but… she always felt delighted and truly happy to be in his presence. Naruto took notice of her presence and managed to get himself released by the bluenette as he came up to his fellow blonde and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "It's over now Rose." He spoke reassuringly, alerting her that the immediate threat is now over which made her smile.

King Mickey cleared his throat, catching Naruto's attention as he broke the hug from the princess and spoke to the boy "Now that that's over now… we have some catching up to do Naruto."

The blonde boy nodded in agreement and replied back "No kidding. You guys missed quite a bit. But before we do anything else… we need to find a set of wings for my pal Maleficent." He spoke and jabbed a thumb in the direction of the horned Fairy.

"Friends? Us?" Maleficent asked with a crooked smile, finding it a little bit amusing that he was now speaking in such a casual manner about being her friend.

"You came to save me from that Tia woman right? That makes us friends now." He spoke as if it were the most simple thing in the world, and she was having a difficult time trying to make a compelling argument against it, so she accepted the fact that they were now friends if he said so.

Aqua then snapped her fingers as she remembered something and piped in "You said something about a set of wings, right? I think I have a good idea where to look first."

As their conversation went on, Larxene let out a snarl since she couldn't see an opening to snatch that box away without them knowing. King Stefan and his grunts would have been one thing, but a number of Keyblade wielders would be another. She hoped that Zero was in a forgiving mood, hopefully the information provided about that strange woman from earlier would help placate the boss. With that, the Savage Nymph vanished into Darkness, silently swearing that if anything were to happen to her… she would make that Naruto brat pay dearly.

 **Elsewhere. In Konoha.**

"Maaaaaah. What a nice night." Spoke a feminine voice as she casually walked down the empty streets with a takeout bag in hand, a small spring in each step as she hummed a merry and happy tune to herself as she looked up at the night sky with a broad smile. A large part of her considering on asking her Naruto-kun out on a nice night like this, strangely, she hadn't seen him at his apartment for some time now, and apparently he was no longer participating in the Academy.

Seemed a little strange. But she'd find him at some point or other. She then noticed something odd about the night sky and tilted her head to the side. Was it just her… or were there seemingly fewer stars now? Was she just imagining it? Her question was answered she saw for certain that a star had blinked out of existence… it seemed like a bad omen to her. Swallowing slightly, she continued on her way home, unable to shake off a chill running down her spine. Something was wrong, she could sense it. She could only hope that ill omen wasn't involved with Naruto.

Unknown to her… a figure in a fox mask was following her home.

 **End chapter eight.**

 **Next time: With a mysterious new threat looming, and Ansem now missing, what does this mean for the Keyblade wielders? And now faced with forces far superior to himself, Naruto knows that the time for training is beginning.**

 **A/N: Slightly shorter than I intended, but felt that this was a good stopping point with this chapter. Thanks for your patience as always, and yeah… I really do suck at fight scenes. I know. I'll get to work on the next chapter as soon as I'm able. Thanks a bunch as always. I don't want to give any spoilers for the next arc, but I will say that I intend to bring in another famous mouse from Disney. Thanks again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Nothing much to say here. Though to clarify something… the girl at the end of the previous chapter is NOT Hinata. Thank you. Please leave lots of feedback and reviews. They're always a big help.**

 **Big thanks to Kenchi Narukami as my Beta reader.**

 **Chapter nine: Mayhem begins! Training start! (The Hanged Man arc. Part one.)**

"Erm… is this okay?" Spoke the form of the Green Fairy Fauna as she and her two almost constant companions sat to the side observing the forms of Maleficent and the princess Aurora casually drinking tea while the three Keyblade wielders had gathered around the now empty Black Box and discussing what to do with it.

"What's not okay? Maleficent and Aurora are just having tea together." Merryweather grumbled feeling that her two companions were getting a little too worried about Aurora since it seemed that both the princess and the Mistress of Evil had made peace with one another. Though Flora the red Fairy still seemed unconvinced as she kept on fidgeting.

In the background Naruto spoke as he explained the events that transpired while Aqua was gone "... And once I came to challenge King Stefan, he touched the box and it absorbed his life essence and heart. Releasing that Halibel woman you saw earlier." Both Keyblade masters listened intently to his story and were utterly surprised.

His encounters with this fox masked person 'Ava' and the Organization XIII member Larxene. None of these things could possibly be coincidence. King Mickey made a thinking pose as he spoke "I see. That is a lot to digest. It seems to me there's much more going on than just Organization XIII. In fact, just recently Ansem the Wise was kidnapped which is why I called Aqua away. I am sorry for leaving you all alone to face the dangers you encountered."

The whiskered teen smiled as he replied "Well, nothing bad really happened and everything's okay now. So it's fine. Still… that Ava girl… I can't get a read on her. And that Larxene seemed to be the kind of person that marches to the beat of her own drum. As for Halibel… to be honest I don't think she's actually a bad person. She could have easily killed me without batting an eye, but she didn't. So why was she sealed in that box? And how did Ansem get kidnapped? Wasn't he with you when we saw him?" The blonde asked as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Indeed. But shortly after you left, Ansem returned to his home in Radiant Garden to continue his research on the other Realms." The king explained causing both Aqua and Naruto to wonder why Ansem had been taken in the first place.

The bluenette then voiced their question "Any idea why Ansem was kidnapped? And what exactly was he researching?"

"Well… from what I understand, Ansem was doing research about Naruto's realm to discover what was so unique about it and why no Heartless appear there. He theorized that something of immense power was preventing then from manifesting. He hoped to find other realms that may share this power so he can replicate it and keep the realms safe forever." Mickey explained as best he could.

"Think it might have something to do with this box thing? The Heartless didn't start popping up around here until AFTER it was opened." The blonde pointed out as he gently kicked the box with his foot.

"It could be. Remember earlier when Ansem mentioned Organization XIII's movements seemed to be sporadic? Maybe it's because they're looking for something. Maybe this box has something to do with it?" Aqua pointed out making both her apprentice and the king hum quietly in thought.

"Maybe… right now we have a pile full of questions and no shovel to start digging. Guess our best bet is to stop by Ansem's place and work from there. Maybe we'll find some kind of clue or lead to point us in the right direction?" The Jinchuuriki suggested causing the Keyblade Masters to nod in agreement.

"That seems to be our only option. We should also probably consult my former teacher Yen Sid about this. He could provide some insight about this box." Mickey spoke up, hoping that his master could provide much needed answers. Any information whatsoever would be better than fumbling around in the dark.

The other Keyblade users nodded in agreement with the blonde turning towards the forms of Maleficent and his friend Rose… or was it Aurora now? "Mind if I say my goodbyes first?" He asked with both Mickey and his new mentor Aqua nodding in agreement since it was only right that the boy say goodbye to his new friends. The whiskered teen sighed as he approached them, with both the Dark Fairy and the princess turning towards him upon hearing his footsteps drawing near.

Maleficent gave a crooked smile as she stroked Diavel's backside who gave a soft caw as he flapped his wings a bit. "Leaving so soon my boy?" She asked him, making him chuckle a bit. He really wanted to stay a while longer, but he had other things to worry about at the moment.

"Not really by choice. That Halibel woman is still out there. Not to mention a bunch of other guys that are up to no good. But I promise to come back and visit every now and again. How's it feel to have your wings back Maleficent?" The blonde asked as he pointed towards the gigantic wings attached to her back, making the Dark Fairy beam a little bit at the mentioning of her glorious wings that had been graciously returned to her.

"It feels good. Like I am whole once more. Both myself and the princess were discussing our futures together now that Stefan is gone." The horned woman spoke as she gestured to her counterpart, with the blonde woman giggling a little bit.

"With the King gone, the throne is now empty, and without a ruler the kingdom will descend into anarchy. So… I have decided to take the throne and guide everyone to a new era of peace." Aurora explained making her fellow blonde nod in understanding at her decision, though he was a bit surprised that she had so readily agreed to it. Was it a sense of duty? Her caring nature? A combination of the two? Who knows?

"What about you Maleficent? What's going to happen with the Moors?" The whiskered teen asked out of curiosity since she was still the ruler of the fairies. He was aware that the two had buried the hatchet, but he still wondered how they would manage if there were any lingering grudges from their respective people.

"I've decided to step down and abdicate my throne to Aurora. She shall serve as Queen for two kingdoms to promote peace." The horned Fairy answered, surprising the Jinchuuriki since it was a bit unexpected.

Sensing his surprise, Maleficent continued "The Moors doesn't need me as their leader anymore. They don't need someone in charge that is ready to charge into battle at a moment's notice. Right now, more than anything… I think the Fairies are in need of a leader who can promote kindness and healing."

After her explanation Aurora piped in "I'll be staying in the Moors to show that humans and fairies can indeed live in peace and harmony. Also… I don't fancy the idea of staying in Stefan's castle, so I'll be giving it to the people for them to live freely in."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that you two are gonna do just fine so long as you continue working together. If you ever need my help, I'll be there. That's a promise. I'll be sure to visit to see how you're all doing from time to time." the whiskered teen promised, though the princess gave a coy smile.

"Would you seal that promise with a kiss?" She asked, briefly flicking her eyes over in Aqua's direction for a split second. The Keyblade user blushed a bit, but a promise was a promise, and so he placed a chaste kiss on her lips and replied "There ya go. Sealed with a kiss… so… is it Rose or Aurora now?"

"Whichever you prefer. But I think it goes without saying… that I was Briar Rose before I was ever Princess Aurora when we met." She pointed out making him nod since that was true. To him… she'd always be his Rose… wait. 'His Rose'? Where did that come from?

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and said "Thanks Rose. For everything. You all take care of each other now. Mkay? Diaval? You keep an eye on them for me." The blonde spoke to the crow as he gave a two fingered salute causing the crow to bob his head in acknowledgement.

"Hey! What about us?" Shouted the form of Merryweather as she waved her wand a bit, spreading some pixie dust about or whatever it was that came from those wands. The whiskered teen chuckled a bit as he replied back "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you three. Thanks for the help with that cage. You take care now!" the blonde boy shouted as he ran off towards the forms of Mickey and Aqua who were patiently waiting for him.

As his form departed, the princess smiled fondly as she began to sing goodbye…

" _Of all the money that e'er I had_

 _I spent it in good company_

 _And all the harm I've ever done_

 _Alas it was to none but me_

 _And all I've done for want of wit_

 _To mem'ry now I can't recall_

 _So fill to me the parting glass_

 _Good night and joy be to you all_ "

As she sang Naruto looked back once more and waved goodbye, prompting his newfound friends to wave back as well as all three Keyblade users vanished in a flash of light to parts unknown. As soon as he was gone from her sight, the princess felt a deep void in her heart. For she already began to miss him. But she knew he would be back. She knew he'd keep his promise. Now… there was one last thing that needed to be addressed.

"Maleficent? What of my curse? Would it be possible to dispel it?" The blonde girl asked out of concern, knowing that she couldn't rule if her curse were to take hold nor would she be able to see her Naruto again. So it would be very nice to get that situation out of the way. The Dark Fairy let out a small hum and waved her finger creating a small wisp of green smoke and then she smirked a little bit as she found something interesting.

"I don't believe there is any need for that." The Horned woman spoke with a crooked smirk making the princess raise an eyebrow… then she realized that it could only mean one thing… the curse had already been lifted! It must have been broken by Naruto's kiss. So it was true then… he really was her true love. The princess couldn't help but smile since she knew in her heart that he was the one for her. She looked forward to the day they would meet again. Maybe then… she could share her true feelings with him.

 **Elsewhere. Konoha.**

In the humble and popular ramen stand known as Ichiraku's Ayame hummed a happy tune to herself as another customer had left, this one being Iruka Umino had been reading some kind of folder the whole time during his stay, with a rather nasty glint in his eye. She wasn't sure what that was about, but she hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Naruto since he hadn't shown up in recent days. She was actually a little bit worried about him to be honest.

He had better not be home gorging on nothing but cup ramen and watching the Princess Gale series again. Her musing was interrupted when the form of a female figure entered their stand and took a seat. The ramen waitress took notice that it was a woman with blonde hair with caramel colored skin that was seldom seen in Konoha, from her sword it was possible she was a Samurai or maybe a mercenary since she didn't have a ninja headband. "Hi there! Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can I get for you?" Ayame spoke cheerfully as she greeted the new customer.

"I'll take one of everything in the largest bowls you have" The woman spoke bluntly, her stomach growling loudly which showed she was obviously hungry. Ayame nodded and passed the order on to her father who immediately set to work on preparing their visitor's meal. All the while, Ayame was a little grateful her father couldn't see this woman given how reveal the stranger's outfit was, particularly showing her toned stomach and the underside of her breasts. Was that some kind of fashion statement or some kind of trick to distract the kinds of people that could only think with what's between their legs.

"So uhh… where are you from? Got a name Ms…?" Ayame asked to try and strike up a conversation to help pass the time, she also occasionally enjoyed speaking with the customers since they sometimes had interesting stories to share.

"Tia Halibel." The blonde woman curtly replied, making the waitress believe that this woman may be the strong and silent type.

"Anything for you to drink Tia-san?" Ayame politely offered with a smile, prompting her customer to nod in thanks and curtly reply that she'd like some tea. As the brown haired woman poured a cup of tea for her guest she asked "So what brings you to Konoha? Business? Pleasure? Just passing through?"

"I'm here seeking strong opponents." Halibel answered as she laced her fingers together as she patiently waited for her meal. The brown haired waitress served a fresh cup of tea and spoke "That so? No shortage of that around here. Are you here for training?"

"Something like that. Yes. I wish to test my strength." Halibel answered as she lifted the cup to her face, and slowly pulled down the high collar covering her face causing Ayame to wait with bated breath, wondering what the blonde woman's face looked like. She was distracted when her father Teuchi called that the first round was ready, causing her to turn in his direction to grab the first set of bowls. And when she turned back towards Halibel, she had already replaced her high collar again. Ayame frowned a bit since she wanted to see what she looked like, but that was okay… Halibel would have to lower her collar again in order to eat.

As the first set of bowls were placed in front of the caramel skinned woman. Tia broke apart a set of chopsticks and then glanced over at a picture that was hanging off the wall and saw a familiar figure in it "That picture… are you friends with the boy there? With Naruto?" The blonde woman asked as she pointed towards the picture which surprised the waitress as she turned towards it.

"Yeah this is his favorite place to eat, so he's a regular. You know Naruto-kun? Are you his friend or something?" She asked and faced Halibel once more… only to find that the four bowls she had just served were now empty. Had this woman devoured them in the span of the six seconds she had faced away? She must have an appetite similar to Naruto's.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say we're friends. I so happened to meet him and I sparred with him. In spite of his youth, he has some talent. Now then… who might I ask is the strongest fighter in your village?" Halibel asked, although inwardly she was genuinely surprised that she had so happened to stop by in Naruto's home realm. Of all the realms in all the multiverse she could have chosen to test her strength in… she happened to choose that boy's world? Was it truly coincidence? Or was it fate?

"Well, there's lots of strong ninjas in Konoha. But the one in charge of everything is the Sandaime Hokage. Our village leader. He's getting on up in years, but is still our undisputed leader." Ayame answered honestly as she served the second round of ramen for her guest. And this time she wouldn't take her eyes off the blonde woman.

"I see. Thank you for the information." Tia spoke gratefully and slowly lowered her high collar once more as Ayame waited to see what it was that the caramel skinned woman was hiding beneath her collar. Was she hiding some kind of deformity she was insecure of? Or was she hiding a gorgeous fate that could charm almost anyone?

Before she could get a glimpse of Tia's face, someone else had entered the ramen stand prompting Ayame to turn in their direction and politely greet them "Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can I get for you?" the newest customer to enter the ramen stand was none other than one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.

"Miso Ramen if you please." He requested as he took a seat on one of the stools. Ayame wrote down his order and glanced over towards Tia's direction… only to find she had once again finished her ramen with blinding speed causing her to miss her chance. "GODDAMNIT!" The waitress shouted in disappointment causing the toad Sannin to jump in his seat a little bit.

"Ummm… Are you out of Miso? I'll also take Salt Ramen if you're out." Jiraiya spoke as he blinked a few times, his words causing the waitress to blush profusely at her childish outburst. She muttered some kind of apology and then scurried back to her father and told him the Sannin's order.

As this went on, the Sannin glanced over to the other customer in the stand and saw that it was a woman with a rather tantalizing body and a great fashion sense. "Hey there babe. I'm Jiraiya. Toad mountain sage and Sannin. Maybe you've heard of me?" He greeted with a lecherous smile, his eyes staring down at her breasts.

"No. I haven't." She answered bluntly, making him almost fall off his seat since he was sure that there wasn't a single person who hadn't heard of the Sannin. Maybe she was pulling his leg? Playing the old 'hard to get' trick?

"Really? You really haven't heard of me? I'm one of the Sannin? I'm amongst the top ninjas in the Elemental Nations and survived against the legendary Hanzo the Salamander." He spoke, proudly flaunting his status and accomplishment.

"Survived? Not prevail?" Tia asked as she quirked up an eyebrow. The stunned silence from the so-called Sannin indicating that he didn't actually win against this Hanzo. She sensed his energy signature and found it to be fairly potent… but so far she didn't feel he was worthy to fight He didn't have that same kind of heart as that Naruto boy had. As their interaction went on, Ayame served the final round of ramen to the blonde woman, the large bowls filled to the brim as she began to lower her collar once more.

"That's… an awful lot of ramen you got there. What saaaaaay I pay your bill for ya? Then we can see about getting to know each other better." He offered as he wiggled his eyebrows a bit… and was then caught off guard when a pair of chopsticks were crammed up into his nostrils making him squeal in pain.

"I refuse to accept false altruism from someone with an ulterior motive, least of all a carnal motive." Tia spoke bitterly as she grabbed a fresh set of chopsticks and broke them apart. Ayame couldn't help but giggle a bit upon seeing the state the older pervert was now in as blood poured out of his nostrils as he clutched at his nose and tried to remove the chopsticks as quickly yet gently as possible. When Ayame turned towards the blonde woman… all of her ramen bowls were empty yet again.

How in the hell did she eat so fast?! Her appetite was definitely just like Naruto's if she could gobble it down with inhuman speed. "I apologize for any inconvenience. But I don't have any money to pay for my meal. Is there any other way I can pay my bill?" The caramel skinned woman offered with sincerity causing the waitress to blink a few times.

She then smiled and replied "Nah. Jiraiya-san did offer to foot your bill for you after all." At her response, Ayame could almost swear that she could see a smile beneath Tia's high collar which was further evidenced by a low chuckle.

"He did. Didn't he? Thank you for your time and generosity. Feel free to take a large tip from this 'Toad Sage'. Tia spoke and then waved goodbye, but before she left the ramen stand she stopped to ask "Where might I find your Hokage if I wished to speak with him?" At her question the waitress pointed towards a rather important looking tower that was in plain view which answered her question. Now that she had her destination… she was going to pay this Hokage a visit.

 **Meanwhile. Radiant Garden.**

"Golly what a mess." Spoke a feminine voice as she sat on the desk belonging to Ansem the wise as she looked about his office which looked as though a tornado had ripped the place to pieces, scattering about numerous pieces of furniture, lab equipment and research notes. It had been some time since the King had been taken, and she was sure that King Mickey would arrive at any time now to investigate, and he promised to bring Master Aqua and her new apprentice too.

"No kidding." Muttered the form of a Kunoichi named who stood in the doorway to maintain the integrity of the crime scene and to keep people away. If it was discovered that their king Ansem was kidnapped, it could cause a panic amongst the population. Fortunately, only a select and trusted few were aware of Ansem's disappearance.

"Good news. They're here." The Kunoichi announced as the forms of the Keyblade wielders entered the office with the young blonde boy letting out a loud whistle at the state of Ansem's office making the black haired girl giggle in response since she knew that the place was a mess. But she didn't want to clean it up and risk sweeping away potential evidence.

"Anyone up for some spring cleaning?" The whiskered teen casually joked, earning a few chuckles as they dragged along a large black box behind them and then left it out in the hallway. "A sense of humor is always a good thing, but don't forget we're still on a mission." King Mickey pointed out causing the boy to smile.

"Hey there. I'm Yuffie. I'm one of King Ansem's elite guard. And that's Gadget Hackwrench, she's Ansem's assistant and blew the whistle on his disappearance." The black haired Ninja spoke up and introduced herself, then she pointed towards the form of a small mouse girl wearing a lavender coveralls like a mechanic would wear.

"Oh my gosh! You have got to be one of the most adorable creatures I have ever met!" Naruto blurted out as he approached the mouse girl, his statement making her blush and giggle a bit.

"Smooth one romeo." Yuffie teased a bit and lightly smacked his shoulder with a cheeky grin, making the blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head a bit. It would seem that no matter the realm he entered, he would always be met with new sights and wonders. He would need to try and do a better job to hide his amazement in the future if he wanted to try and blend in more.

King Mickey let out his signature laugh and spoke "That's enough of that. Now Gadget, how about you tell us everything that happened?" The king asked his fellow mouse, prompting the blonde mouseling to nod in understanding.

"Well… I was here helping the King with his research, regarding worlds that display any lack of Heartless activity. When these people in black cloaks burst inside. Ansem distracted them long enough for me to hide away, and they demanded that he go with them. He initially refused… but the one called Zero threatened to obliterate Radiant Garden from all existence if Ansem didn't cooperate. So he reluctantly left with Zero while two others a guy with red hair, and another guy with pink hair ransacked the place as they looked through all of his research. When they finally left, and I was sure they were definitely gone, I called King Mickey to alert him of the situation and then called Yuffie and her friends. And now, here you are." Gadget spoke and explained the whole story.

"A guy with red hair huh? Sounds like that Axel fella we met in the Pridelands before. You have any idea what they were looking for specifically?" Naruto asked causing the mouse to think for a minute before nodding and then slid down the cable of a lamp to the floor and retreated into a nearby mousehole in the wall, after a few moments she came running back out with a large folder that had several sheets of paper inside. She offered it to the Keyblade wielders prompting Aqua to pick it up and lay it on the desk before opening it.

Inside, as expected was a series of research notes… but the writing seem almost illegible. Yuffie looked down at the writing and squinted a bit before muttered "Does anyone understand that chicken scratch? Cuz I can't make heads or tails of any of that." Her question causing the Keyblade wielders to shrug their shoulders since they couldn't understand any of it either.

"These research notes all pertain to realms that seem to be showing a lack of Heartless activity much like the realm of Ninjas. He wrote them all each in a different code to prevent the Nobodies of his former apprentices within Organization XIII from reading them, or at least buy some time." The blonde mouseling explained, making the Keyblade users nod since it seemed like a necessary precaution.

"Can you translate these Gadget?" Aqua asked since it was paramount that they were decoded, it could help them find some answers to the numerous questions that were currently gnawing at their minds. And most importantly help find and rescue Ansem.

"With enough time, yes. But as I mentioned, each one is in a different code, so I can only translate them piecemeal. Yet another precaution I guess." Gadget responded but she was definitely confident that she could translate the notes, of that she was sure.

"That'd be a big help. How long would it take you to decode them?" Mickey asked, causing Gadget to cross her arms and think for a moment.

"Hard to say. It depends on the complexity of each code and how fast I can crack it." She answered honestly, since she couldn't provide an accurate estimate. It could be anything from hours to days or even weeks. But she still needed to start somewhere.

"I think it best if you come with us Gadget, you can stay in my library. It might be the safest place for you while you translate those notes." Aqua offered as she closed the file and tucked it into her arm, causing the mouseling to nod since that seemed like a good idea for the time being. The bluenette took a deep breath and continued to speak "While Gadget works on decoding the notes, I shall work on training you Naruto."

The Jinchuuriki nodded as he spoke "Yeah. I need to get a lot stronger. I was utterly helpless against that Halibel woman. And she wasn't even using her full strength then. If I wanna protect the Multiverse and all of my friends, I need to get stronger. Way stronger. At my current level, I'm still just a greenhorn."

"I think that would be best. We can't aimlessly wander about the Multiverse. While you train with Aqua, I'll visit my master Yen Sid and see if he can help crack the mystery behind that box and its former occupant. I'll also see what I can find out about Ansem's disappearance when and where I can. I wish you all luck!" Mickey announced before grabbing the Black Box and vanishing in a flash of light with it.

"What will you be doing Yuffie-san?" Naruto asked out of simple curiosity and he could sense that the girl was also pretty strong. He actually kinda wanted to spar with her a bit if he were honest.

"I gotta stay and help keep the peace. Things will go bad fast if people catch on that the king's been taken. But if you guys ever need a helping hand, I'll do what I can to help ya out." She promised with a large grin, causing the Keyblade wielders to nod since they appreciated the offer of help since they'd likely be needing all the help they could get in the not-so-distant future.

"Thanks. We'll be in touch." Aqua spoke and placed a hand on her apprentice's shoulder. It was now time to head back to the Kingdom Hearts Library and begin his training for real this time.

 **Meanwhile. Hokage office.**

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he signed and stamped yet another piece of a seemingly endless pile of paperwork. He could almost swear that the Civilian council were adding their own paperwork to the mix just to spite him. At this point, almost any kind of interruption or distraction from this paperwork would be a godsend. And as if one cue, the door opened revealing one Iruka Umino with a folder in hand as he approached the desk. Hopefully it wasn't yet another piece of paperwork.

"Hokage-sama. I think I found something you might be interested in regarding that librarian you assigned as Naruto's teacher." The scarred Chunin said and slammed the file down on the desk showing a picture of the blue haired woman herself. The Academy teacher cleared his throat and continued "I did some checking around and apparently this woman didn't legally immigrate or register citizenship after I discovered that she had no family and/or birth certificate in Konoha. And her library didn't even exist until five years ago, around the same time that she appeared. Almost as though she simply stepped out of thin air and into existence."

The Sandaime narrowed his eyes a bit, a large part of him wondering why Iruka was so obsessed to keep Naruto in his class, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore the unusual circumstances of Aqua's presence. If she were a spy, then he could have accidentally handed Naruto over to a potentially hostile nation since there were many people in Konoha with loose lips.

"I'll speak with her immediately and get to the bottom of this, and don't think you're off the hook just yet. I still question your performance in the Academy." Hiruzen warned the Chunin, since he still found it suspicious how a single student could struggle in the same class for three years and show no improvement. While he knew Naruto could sometimes be a crazy little rascal and a prankster, but he sincerely doubted that the boy was that bad a student. Perhaps in this instance, the fault was with the teacher?

Before their conversation could continue, a knock was heard at the door interrupting them. "Come in." The Hokage called out while maintaining a hard stare at Iruka, which was only broken when his new visitor entered inside and he found it to be a woman he'd never seen before. "Are you the Hokage?" She asked in a blunt manner, showing that she wasn't one to waste much time.

"I am. And who might you be? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked in a professional manner as he eyed this woman's posture. From the way she carried herself it was plain to see that she was a skilled fighter. She had no headband either, was it possible she was seeking work or to join the Shinobi corps?

"I am Tia Halibel, I represent the Arcana of the Hanged Man. And I wish to fight you." She stated as she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, making the Sandaime tense up a little. Though he doubted she was a hired assassin since she had clearly announced her intentions.

"That is an… unusually straight-forward request. I'm actually a little surprised. Not many people just walk up to a Kage in their own village and say 'Fight me'." He spoke in a half-serious and half-joking tone, making a subtle gesture to his Anbu to stand down for the moment.

"Perhaps. But I think it is only proper manners to introduce oneself to your opponent before requesting a duel or a spar. I wish to test my strength and I was told you're the leader of this village, that makes you the strongest, does it not?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes a bit.

"I am indeed the leader of this village, and I did indeed earn the title of a Kage. Am I the strongest in the village? That's somewhat debatable, but I can still hold my own against the best of them." He replied in an honest tone since he was getting on in years now, but that didn't mean he still couldn't keep up with a potential enemy in a fight.

"That is acceptable." She responded and then her eyes flicked over to a set of pictures on his desk. One of which was the aged Hokage fishing with a younger Naruto which made Tia raise an eyebrow in surprise. "You know Naruto Uzumaki as well?" She asked out of curiosity, first, she had visited his favorite ramen stand, and now she found that he was close to this Hokage? In her experience, if enough coincidences lined up… they would form a pattern. This was indeed fate.

The Hokage was surprised by her question but replied back "I do. He has no living family, so I tried my best to take care of him and… well… I became something of a grandfather to him. Now… how do you know him?" He asked at the end, wondering what her connection to the boy was.

"I met him recently and I sparred with him. I firmly believe he is hiding latent power within him. I look forward to fighting him again when he's stronger. With a heart as strong as his, I imagine he'll go far." she replied back, her explanation satisfying the Sandaime since he believed very much the same. Her words earning a snort from Iruka making the Sandaime glare at him for his rudeness.

"Did you find something funny?" Tia asked the Chunin in a monotone voice, her eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance since this flea wasn't even worthy of her time.

"Naruto? Hiding latent power? I was his teacher for three years and he never showed any signs of talent of any kind. He's by far the worst student to ever be on record at the Academy." The Chunin spoke bitterly, making the Sandaime glare even harder at him for his disregard for the boy.

"Never showed any talent, eh? Then how come he can outrun numerous Chunin after a pranking spree even from a young age? That in itself should show a high degree of talent. You know… the more you talk, the less I like you Iruka. Now get out of my office." The Hokage half-yelled, almost tempted to call his Anbu to throw the man out, but the Scarred Chunin fled rather quickly since he didn't wish to incur the Sandaime's wrath.

As this went on, Tia observed a second picture showing the Sandaime in his younger years with three teenagers, one of which she recognized as that so-called Sannin from the Ramen stand, and then she noticed that the four were gathered around… a Black Box. "Excuse me. That box. Where did you find that?" The caramel skinned woman asked.

The Hokage followed her gaze to the picture in question and replied back "Oh, that old thing? I'm afraid I can't tell you for the sake of security reasons. That box has been dubbed as a highly dangerous artifact, so for the safety of the village it has been locked up."

Tia gave the Sandaime a steely glare as she spoke as calmly "That box contains one of my brethren. I need it back. If you kindly return it to me, I shall grant you one wish."

The offer intrigued the Sandaime as he made a small thinking pose and responded "One of your brethren you say? Am I to guess that you too may have been sealed into one of those boxes?" He asked since he was sure it was one of the few ways she'd know about it… and he could now sense that her chakra signature was an almost exact match for the one he felt from the box all those years ago.

"Correct. It is imperative that it is unsealed." She spoke in an almost urgent tone, showing that she very much wanted it.

"My apologies, but I do not think it is wise to do that. I cannot help but question why it is you and whoever else was shut away in these boxes were sealed away to begin with." The Sandaime spoke as he got up from his seat, prepared to don his battle armor in case this woman attacked him out of spite.

Halibel sighed almost tiredly as she spoke "Very well. Then, I shall give you ten days to either change your mind and give me the box, or to prepare your best warriors. Good day." With that said, the caramel skinned woman exited the office without a word further. Ten days seemed like a fairly generous amount of time to reconsider or prepare. Was she that confident in her ability to win?

Well, at least he had a reprieve for the time being. Now then… there was still the matter of that Aqua woman to deal with. Now was the time to determine what her real intentions were.

 **Kingdom Hearts Library.**

Deep within the vault, a flash of light appeared along with the forms of Aqua, Naruto and their newest ally Gadget. Naruto then turned towards his sensei as he glanced at the mouseling sitting in her open palm and then remembered something important. "Hey Sensei. I think you should put down Gadget for a sec. Remember what happened with Shenzi and Zira?" The whiskered teen suggested making the bluenette wonder what he was… oh. Wait a second. Now she remembered.

"Why? What happened with…" Gadget tried to ask out loud but her question was cut short when her tiny body suddenly began to grow in size in the span of a few seconds, the sudden change caught Aqua off guard as she tried to maintain her balance and not accidentally dump their newest friend on the floor. And then… the sound of fabric exploding could be heard followed by a shout of 'Golly!'

A few moments later, Gadget was now covered by a blanket, a deep blush of embarrassment on her face since her trademark coveralls had been obliterated when she became a human sized mouse that was now approximately Naruto's height. "Yeah…we forgot to mention. My realm does… weird things to animal like creatures like yourself." The Jinchuuriki explained with a sheepish grin.

"I'll see about making a charm that'll let you switch back and forth to your original and new size… and a new change of clothes too." Aqua promised since she wished to apologize and accommodate their newest guest.

"I'd appreciate that. Though this new size isn't all bad. There might be some advantages to being able to change size." Gadget pointed out since she could not only get into smaller spaces or work with precision that a human couldn't but she now could do things her tiny form couldn't handle. Fortunately it seemed she was handling her change better than Zira did on her arrival.

Speaking of which, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what the cranky Lioness was doing now. Might be a good time to check in on her, Shenzi and the Gullwings before they begin their training. "Come on Naruto, let's get our new guest settled then we can see about your training." Aqua spoke up causing her student to nod since he was looking forward to some training in a more formal setting.

The trio traveled upstairs to the main library and Aqua whistled a melodious tune which almost immediately summoned the form of Yuna who gave a polite bow "All's clear Aqua. No one's in the library right now and no incidents of note have occurred." The fairy reported making the bluenette nod in thanks as she made a hand-sign to dispel the blood clone working at the desk and then proceeded upstairs to assign a room to Gadget.

The blonde boy took the opportunity to check in on the others and found Zira sitting in a reclining chair as she watched a movie that showed a bat themed vigilante beat the snot out of some thugs while Shenzi seemed to be mimicking some of his movements. "Hey girls. You enjoying yourselves?" He asked, surprising them a bit with his presence… he then found himself being tackled to the floor by the Hyena who was now straddling him with her huge and squishy rear resting on his pelvis.

"Welcome back kid! You go on some awesome adventures? The next time you go, I wanna join up with ya! I've been practicing my kicks while you were away. Wanna see?" She asked excitedly as she got up and began bouncing on her feet for a few moments.

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to see you doing half-assed kicks with those thunder thighs." Zira commented as she stretched out her limbs, grateful that the collar around her neck allowed her to change into her normal form. Which had been made thanks to the Gullwings. Shenzi was also sporting one, but seemed rather content in her Anthro form.

"Worship da Thundah thighs!" Shenzi yelled angrily and flipped off the Lioness making the blonde chuckle. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he brought along some backup. Who knows? He could always use the help.

"Maybe later Shenzi. How are you doing Zira?" The whiskered teen asked making the lioness roll her eyes a bit but a thin smile formed on her face all the same.

"I have plentiful food and entertainment and am currently wanting for nothing. So for the time being, I am happy. Though if you could do something about the little one inside of me, that would only make it better. She's been squirming around a lot." The Lioness answered as she pointed at her slowly swelling belly, though to Naruto it seemed a bit bigger than the last time. Was he imagining things?

"No can do. Sorry Zira. But don't worry, junior will be born before you know it. You're sure that it's a girl though?" He asked since the grumpy Lioness which made her give a small and dry laugh.

"Pretty sure, yes. Call it a gut feeling…no pun intended." Zira answered, and seemed almost ready to laugh at her unintended joke which only caused the boy and his Hyena to laugh a bit. Their moment was interrupted when the blonde heard a familiar voice call out from downstairs "Naruto-kun? Aqua-san?" It seemed like the Hokage had come to pay an unexpected visit for some reason. It would probably be wise to see what he wanted since he doubted it was a casual visit.

He headed downstairs and greeted the Sandaime "Hey Jiji! Nice to see you again." The Hokage smiled at the warm greeting, but his face shifted to a more stern and serious type which only puzzled the boy. He wasn't in trouble or anything right? He hadn't gone off on any pranking sprees of late. So what was the problem?

"Likewise Naruto-kun. Is Aqua-san here?" The Hokage asked which earned a nod from the Kyuubi container and he called out to the bluenette, alerting her of the Sandaime's presence to which she replied that she'd be right down. As they waited, the Hokage asked the blonde boy "So tell me Naruto-kun, how much do you know about Aqua-san?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and answered "Not that much to be honest since I haven't been with her for that long. And I didn't think it polite to ask any personal questions so soon." The Hokage sighed as he rubbed his temples, while he didn't wish to outright accuse the librarian of anything outright, it was still suspicious how she seemingly popped out of nowhere. But why wait for so long before suddenly taking an interest in Naruto? He still didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, but hopefully she would be willing to provide some answers.

After a few more moments, the bluenette herself appeared with a small smile and greeted "Good afternoon Sandaime-sama. Is there something you need from me?" She asked politely, a part of her thinking that he was here to check on how Naruto was doing under her tutelage. But it seemed way too soon for that.

The aged Hokage cleared his throat and spoke "It has recently been brought to my attention that you seemingly appeared out of thin air five years ago, you have no birth certificate or any kind of citizenship either, and your library didn't exist either until your inexplicable arrival. Would you care to explain yourself?"

Aqua tensed up as she swallowed a bit, cursing herself for such a blunder. For five years this had gone unnoticed, and now that she was involved with Konoha's Jinchuuriki, of course she would be investigated. She couldn't lie to the Hokage, and any other possible alternative may yield even more disastrous results. Before she could even open her mouth, her student said "Aqua-sensei? I think we should tell him."

"Tell me what?" The Hokage asked out as he tilted his head slightly, since it seemed that the boy was privy to something that he himself wasn't. Aqua seemed reluctant to share, but gave a defeated sigh and nodded in consent. She supposed that it was best that the Hokage should know about it to help keep anyone else from finding out.

"I'll tell him. Okay Jiji. This is gonna be a lot for you to take in, so bear with me here. Now, you must promise, on your honor as a Ninja, on the mantle of Hokage, and on your headband that you will never, and I mean never tell anyone about what it is I'm going to reveal to you, not even the Daimyo, under pain of death. Do you promise?" Naruto questioned, making the Sandaime sweat a little since that was the most solemn vow a Hokage, much less any ninja could ever make. And to break such a promise meant certain death, if not physically, then certainly in the eyes of all other Ninja worth their salt.

"I promise upon my honor, my mantle as the Sandaime Hokage, and my Shinobi headband that I'll take whatever secrets you have to my grave." He promised, earning a nod of satisfaction from the boy.

"Okay, me and Aqua-sensei are warriors known as Keyblade wielders that travel around the Multiverse and protect it from entities of pure darkness known as the Heartless that seek to devour other worlds. With me so far?" Naruto briefly surmised causing the Hokage to blink dumbly a few times and mumble a confused 'Come again?'

The boy facepalmed himself for a second and then called out "Oi! Rikku! Yuna! Paine! Get out here for a sec!" At his call, a trio of fairy like creatures appeared and froze up as they tried to fly away and hide from the Hokage's view... Though it was too late for that since he'd already caught sight of them.

"Naruto-kun… were those fairies I just saw?" Hiruzen asked as he pointed up at the bookshelf the fairies were hiding behind as they poked their little heads out to peer from around the corner. At this, Aqua nodded and began her explanation about the collapse of the Barrier separating the realms, and how the realms were now sealed away into books for safekeeping so the worlds wouldn't collide together.

The Sandaime quietly listened and digested the information, finding it difficult to believe, but at the same time he did believe it. He remembered that long ago, when his sensei Tobirama Senju was developing the Hiraishin that he theorized that there may be other realms in existence beyond their own. Entire worlds that were waiting to be explored, many of them different or bearing certain similarities.

"I see… does this have anything to do with a woman called Halibel?" Hiruzen asked since he wondered if that strange woman had something to do with this 'Multiverse' business. All of a sudden, he found the boy pulling on his robes, yanking him down to eye level as he spoke "You met her too?! Where is she?"

The Hokage was caught off guard by the boy's reaction but still answered "Yes. She appeared just today and wanted to fight me. But then she took an interest in a Black Box that she saw in a picture with me and my team."

"A Black Box? Hokage-sama, it is important that we get to this box first. Where is it?" Aqua asked in a tone of urgency. Another box was here in the realm of Ninjas and she didn't even know about it? This could not be a coincidence.

"I can't reveal that. Even if I wanted to, since I'm not the one that hid it. A detail I conveniently failed to mention to that Halibel woman. She has given me ten days to either procure the box, or to assemble my best ninjas to fight her. Our only choice now is to fend her off." Hiruzen replied as he finally released himself from the boy's grip.

"Ten days huh? That doesn't leave us much time to train then Aqua-sensei." the blonde pointed out much to the bluenette's shock. "You can't be serious. You really want to fight her again after last time? There's no possible way you will be ready in just ten days. It isn't physically possible." She protested while crossing her arms over her bust.

"You don't know what you can do until you try. That aside, I think the term 'impossible' can be thrown right out the window with this whole multiverse business." Naruto responded in a matter of fact tone, making Hiruzen chuckle a bit as he patted the boy's head.

"Brave of you Naruto-kun, but I think you should leave this to the pros." the Hokage pointed out, much to Aqua's relief. And then he continued to speak "Well, I'm glad to see that the reason behind Aqua's secret was for the right reasons. I just wish this could have been resolved sooner."

"Speaking of secrets… I wasn't ready before and I didn't want to say anything in front Iruka at that time… but I know the truth." Naruto spoke with a sigh, earning a confused look from Hiruzen… until he realized what the boy was talking about.

Before he could open his mouth, the Jinchuuriki continued to speak "I didn't just learn about the Kyuubi. I guess I had figured that bit out a long time ago. The fox told me about my clan, and my parents and my heritage. I just want to know… why did I have to hear it from the fox and not from you?" The boy demanded while pointing an accusatory finger towards the Hokage.

Hiruzen sighed deeply as he rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that this day would have come sooner or later. "I see. There was a lot I wished to tell you Naruto-kun. But I didn't have the heart to do so. I originally intended to keep your identity a secret so you wouldn't have to fear reprisal from anyone still bearing a grudge against the Kyuubi. But a certain idiot leaked the information with the vain and futile hope you'd be hailed as a hero.

On top of that, both of your parents made many enemies inside and outside of Konoha, so I kept your full heritage a secret to protect you. I had intended to tell you when I thought you were older and were a fairly experienced ninja capable of defending yourself but… well… in the end I have done nothing but fail you time and again. I am sorry Naruto-kun. If I could turn back the clock and do things differently, I would do a better job in keeping you safe… no… I would have sacrificed myself to the Shinigami if it meant you had a chance at being with your parents." The Hokage spoke with some tears building in his eyes.

Naruto's eyes softened as he spoke "I believe you Jiji. Not even you can control everything that happens in your village. Hokage or not. I guess you tried your best, even with the bad hand you were dealt. The past can't be changed, but that's not going to stop me from charging on ahead and forging my own future. Which is why I gotta start training.

If I know anything, the Multiverse is vast. And there's going to be a lot of strong people, and not all of them will be good guys. That's why, if I wanna protect my friends and everyone and everything that matters, I need to become way stronger. You just wait Old man, someday I'll be a Legendary warrior that'll protect the Multiverse." The blonde promised with a cheeky grin. And for a brief moment, the Sandaime could see the images of both Minato and Kushina standing behind the boy.

He knew, that deep down… Naruto would indeed become a powerful Ninja.

 **Meanwhile.**

Anko sat in her apartment as she munched on her favorite Dango as she blankly stared at her television screen. She wasn't really paying attention to what was happening on the screen as she kept on thinking about Naruto-kun. She couldn't help but wonder what he was up to nowadays.

She'd probably go and ask the Hokage if he knew where the boy was. She would very much like to treat him to dinner and hang out with him again. Kami knows she loved being with him… because well… she cared very deeply for him. Why? Well… that was a story for another day.

Her musing was interrupted by a knock at her door. Was it Naruto coming to finally visit? Or was it that damned Jiraiya trying to make false promises about her curse mark to get into her panties? If the latter, she would be sure to finally castrate the pervy bastard once and for all, Ninja headband and Will of Fire be damned.

She opened her door and found a strange girl with a fox mask standing in the doorway with a strange smile the Snake Mistress found a little unsettling. "What do you want?" Anko asked in a grumpy manner since she didn't like salespeople or religious spiel at her doorstep.

"Anko Mitarashi… representative of the Chariot Arcana. Nice to meet you." The girl greeted with a small curtsy. Chariot? Arcana? Sounded like something from one of those tarot things.

"This a sales pitch or something? Unless you're selling Dango, I am not interested in…" Anko spoke dismissively but was cut off when the fox masked girl tackled her to the floor and placed a hand on the nape of her neck, right where her damned Curse Mark was. Before she could protest, the Snake user felt white hot pain burning into her flesh as she could only silently scream and thrashed around on the floor.

"Shhh. Shh. No fussing now. This Mark has been holding you back for some time Chariot-san. I look forward to what's going to happen when your full potential is realized. Don't worry… the pain is only going to get worse long before it gets better." Ava spoke with a small smile. But Anko couldn't hear a word she was saying.

The only thing she could hear was the sound of her heart thundering inside of her chest as she saw nothing but red. And quite mercifully… she finally passed out sparing herself from the agonizing pain.

 **End Chapter Nine.**

 **Next time: Naruto's training is finally underway with only ten days to prepare before Halibel carries out her threat. Can he beat the odds? And what happened with Anko Mitarashi? What is the significance of the Arcana and the Black Boxes? All this and more will be revealed in the future!**


End file.
